FAISALABAD, Jan 17: The Punjab government has formulated a comprehensive agricultural policy to provide modern agriculture inputs to farmers, loans on soft-term basis , the best way of marketing agriculture produce and provision of laser tractors to farmers at the union council level.

This was stated by Punjab Agriculture Minister Muhammad Arshad Khan Lodhi while speaking at a 'Kissan Convention' here at the University of Agriculture on Saturday.

The minister claimed that efforts were also being made to reduce the mark-up on agriculture loans next year.

He said that laser tractors would be provided to farmers at the union council level so that they could set the level of their lands according to the required measurement.

He pointed out that over 68 percent population in the country depended on agriculture and livestock while 44 percent of the population was directly or indirectly associated with this sector.

There was a dire need to modernize the agriculture system so that the country's economy could be put on the path of progress and prosperity, he said.

About the complaints from the farming community regarding the shortage of irrigation water, the minister said the provincial government had chalked out a strategy to meet this crisis.

For this purpose, he said, the desilting campaign of canals was being launched throughout the province while a number of canals and distributaries were being cemented with a huge amount.

University of Agriculture vice-chancellor Dr Riaz Hussain Qureshi said that efforts were being made to set up a modern radio station on the campus to inform farmers about the latest techniques. A number of seminars, workshops and training programmes had already been held in this regard, he said.

Provincial Livestock Secretary Muhammad Athar Tahir revealed that Jhang, Okara, Sahiwal and Muzaffargarh districts had been declared as 'Livestock Zone' and work was going on in these districts for the promotion of livestock.