HARIPUR, Feb 1: District Nazim Dr Raja Amer Zaman has directed the agriculture department to immediately set up farm services centres, at Ghazi and Khanpur.

During his visit to the department’s seeds demonstration farm at Panian, he asked the authorities to ensure availability of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides at the new centres for every cash crop so that the farmers could be facilitated.

He said that the government has embarked on a plan for providing certified seeds, pesticides, fertilizer, machinery and advisory services; installing tube wells; disbursing soft-term loans and establishing farm to market roads for bringing maximum land under cultivation with enhanced per acre yield.

He said the farmers can not benefit from the arrangements without services outlets at suitable points. He urged the officials to ensure the availability of the facilities and services at the doorsteps of the farmers.

He said the provincial government would determine the number of tube wells to be installed in each union council on the basis of the level of underground water.

Raja Amer said work on the Rs6,500 million Barani Area Development Project would shortly be started in nine districts of the province, including Haripur.

Rehabilitation of the roads and new schemes in public health, agriculture, women development and rural development sectors will be initiated under the project, he said.