SIALKOT, Jan 1: The Crop Maximization Project launched by the district government at Maallo Mahey village at a cost of Rs2.8 million has substantially enhanced the per-acre yield of wheat and paddy crops.

This was claimed by District Nazim Mian Naeem Javed while briefing newsmen on development projects here.

He said the project had helped increase the wheat yield from 26 maunds to 43 maunds per acre and Basmati from 27 maunds to 40 maunds per acre.

He said the district government had allocated special funds of Rs4.5 million for launching the Integration of Agriculture Research and Extension Activities. It had also chalked out a plan to brickline watercourses for which Rs24.64 million had been approved.

Besides, 292 canal watercourses and 100 tubewell watercourses would be established here in the next few years. The government had already begun work on the construction of watercourses in the Sialkot's rural areas. The project would cost Rs28 million.

According to the Nazim, the forest department had established one nursery each in the Sialkot, Daska and Pasrur tehsils where the number of saplings had been raised to 270,000.

For improving the Khayaban-i-Iqbal Park, he said, a special grant of Rs12.691 million had been earmarked.

He said 12,000 fish seeds saved in the fisheries farm No 2 would be ready for marketing this month while the auction procedure of the farm was also in progress.