ISLAMABAD, May 6: The ministry of science and technology has launched a Rs25 million project for the establishment of a modern nursery of certified citrus fruit plants through sanitation techniques.

The project will be executed by the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. It will contribute to better production of Kino and increase export of the commodity, a press release issued here by the ministry of science and technology said.

According to the press release, the nurseries will be set up in Faisalabad, Khushab, Sargodha, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Sahiwal, Okara and Khanewal.

The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, is an institution with modern equippements to conduct research and development work proposed in the project.

The project aims at initiating a certification programme through sanitation in tissue culture and establish rootstock tree selection for citrus fruits. It will also promote container-grown citrus nursery, establish a model for the sale of certified fruit plants and develop standard operating procedure manual needed for implementation of the programme.

The project will focus on developing a superior kind of Kino. The different kinds of Kino grown in the country will be described, documented and registered under the intellectual property laws of the World Trade Oorganization.

Efforts will also be made to build a support mechanism for the implementation of nursery certification rules under the Seed Act, 1976.

The project will also help enhance the local production of citrus fruits and adopt an environment-friendly approach.

Fruits are grown on 1.2 million acres in the country which is about three per cent of the total cultivated area.

Citrus fruits contribute about 40 per cent to the total production of fruits in the country.