LAKKI MARWAT, July 22: Growers have refused to sell wheat seed to the agriculture department on official rates as price of the commodity is high in the open market. This was revealed in a meeting of the district coordination forum here on Wednesday. The forum discussed matters pertaining to availability of wheat and gram seeds, supply of fertilisers and its prices, livestock role in poverty alleviation, equipment of model farm services centre with facilities like electricity, water and staff and the role of Barani Area Development Project in boosting agriculture sector.
The executive district officer of agriculture department Ajab Khan presided over the meeting. President District Model Farm Service Centre Hafiz Minhajuddin, other office holders of the centres of local units and officials concerned attended the meeting.
“A 100-kg bag of wheat is available at Rs2,600 in the local market while the government has fixed the rate of the same bag at Rs2,300, so the farmers prefer to sell the wheat seed in the local market”, the meeting pointed out.
The participants said that the local farmers should not be worried about the seed availability as the agriculture department had purchased wheat seed at Rs2,100 and Rs2,200 per 100-kg bag in Nowshera and Charsadda districts, respectively.
“The district coordination forum besides playing a role of bridge between farmers and officials of the agriculture department also helps devise strategies to solve various problems of the farmers”, EDO Ajab Khan said.
He also directed the subordinate officials to perform their professional obligations honestly and work for the well-being of the farmers community. He also asked the office-bearers of the model farm services centres to have a close liaison with the agriculture department.
District agriculture officer Haji Ghulam Mohammad called upon the farmers to benefit from the government’s agro-business programme and get loans for installation of tubewells and dates drying machines, establishment of poultry and dairy farms, purchase of fertilisers and other agriculture related appliances.
He said the farmers would not face any difficulty in getting fertilisers as the department had made advance booking of the nitrogen manure while the DAP was short and hardly available due to its high prices.
He said the department had approached concerned quarters for connecting the building of the model farm services centre with the electricity facility. He asked the farmers to contact the engineering section of the agriculture department in Dera Ismail Khan and hire bulldozers on subsidised rates for leveling their fields.
In-charge Agriculture Research Station Serai Naurang Khan Bahadar urged the need for making arrangements for the availability of improved seeds of maize.
President of Tajazai farm services centre Sibghatullah lamented that the farmers could not avail the facility of using subsidised electricity for their irrigation tubewells despite furnishing relevant forms and fulfilling other formalities in this regard.
It was suggested in the meeting that Rod Kohi dykes and check dams should be constructed on rainy water channels to store water and protect lands from erosion.
CALL FOR REACTIVATING CCI: The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) MNA Humayun Saifullah Khan has said that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) if reactivated could help solve the major issues like provincial autonomy and provincial rights between the federation and its units, says a press release issued on Wednesday.