(Publish from Houston Texas USA)
(By Zafar Chishti, Bureau Chief Punjab)
Lahore: An important meeting was held in Rawalpindi under the chairmanship of Secretary Agriculture Punjab, Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, to review the performance of the formations of the Agriculture Department Rawalpindi. The meeting was attended by Director General, Agency for Barani Area Development (ABAD) Ms. Sheereen Naz; Chief, Agency for Barani Area Development Muhammad Arif Khan Niazi; Additional Director General Soil Conservation Dr. Parvez Sikandar; Director Agriculture (Extension) Shahid Iftikhar Bukhari; Director Irrigation Improvement Farhana Jameel; Deputy Director Irrigation Improvement Rawalpindi Raja Hassan Raza Khan, along with other officers.On this occasion, Secretary Agriculture Punjab stated that the Agency for Barani Area Development (ABAD) has now formally become part of the administrative structure of the Agriculture Department Punjab. A detailed briefing was given on the functional and operational activities of the Agency, during which it was informed that its jurisdiction covers 13 rain-fed (barani) districts. Iftikhar Ali Sahoo directed that practical proposals be presented to further improve the Agency’s performance and emphasized strengthening linkages with international organizations to enhance the capacity of ABAD. He further stressed that these measures would contribute to the economic uplift of farmers in the region and promote agricultural productivity.
During the review meeting of ongoing development programs in the Potohar region, the Secretary Agriculture Punjab was informed that implementation of the Chief Minister Punjab’s Agriculture Transformation Plan is in progress at a total cost of Rs. 7 billion, out of which a substantial amount of Rs. 4 billion will be spent on the water-use efficiency program. Under this program, farmers are being provided a 70 percent subsidy to promote water conservation. In addition, construction of 500 mini dams is underway at a cost of Rs. 1 billion for soil and water conservation. Under this mega program, implementation is also underway on a project worth Rs. 370 million to promote ginger cultivation in the Potohar region.
