PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has ordered necessary steps for cultivation of saffron in suitable lands in upcoming season.

He ordered the officials concerned to collect data of agricultural lands across the province, adding saffron crops being grown in neighboring countries should also be evaluated in order to have better production.

CM Gandapur ordered this while chairing a meeting of agriculture department, said an official statement issued by the chief minister’s secretariat here on Sunday

It said that Mr Gandapur directed relevant authorities to take innovative measures in order to have maximum production with minimum cost, adding that modern farming technology should be introduced and the field of research in agriculture be aligned with contemporary requirements for the purpose.

He urged the authorities to ensure useful utilisation of available agriculture land in the province so as to make it an effective source of income for the provincial government.

The chief minister directed the agriculture department to cultivate land itself instead of giving the same on contracts. He added that farmers should also be encouraged to cultivate saffron in the land suitable for this purpose.

He also ordered the officials concerned to initiate wild olive grafting programme in the merged districts and underlined the need for the construction of small artificial dams to cultivate vegetables in the districts where there was shortage of water.

The chief minister said that drip irrigation system could also be introduced in merged districts, agricultural activities should be carried out keeping in view the specific climatic conditions and other related aspects of different regions of the province.

“Self-sufficiency in agricultural production is much needed to control prevailing inflation,” he said adding that his government would extend its all-out support to agriculture department for the purpose.

He directed the department to take special steps for promoting horticulture and carry out survey for planting suitable fruit trees in every district of the province.

The chief minister made it clear that food security was one of the top priority areas of the provincial government, adding that integrated efforts were needed to ensure speedy implementation of Chashma Right Bank Canal and other major projects in this sector.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2024