Rigid efforts are being made against locusts, says the Chairman of PARC.
Rigid efforts are being made against desert locusts, says the Chairman of PARC, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan that strong measure were being taken and rigid efforts were being carried out to counteract the desert locusts and some other agricultural challenges that have the tendency to affect the economy of the country.
Khan visited the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and had a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of the university, Dr Muhammad Ashraf, and other UAF agricultural entomologists and engineers.
Khan informed that PARC will wholeheartedly support the UAF to launch its locust spray machine, the research and the development work for fighting against the agricultural challenges confronting Pakistan.
He also exclaimed that the UAF’s newly developed desert locust spray machine was the first of its kind in the country ever.
The desert locust eliminating spray machine was termed as a hallmark step to combat locust. He also visited the work on bio pesticide at locust research lab.
Federal government was planning a project worth Rs 500 millions so as to catch the locust alive and then to use it as the poultry feed. The UAF scientists are supposed to provide a profound and complete research and development on the subject of locust nutritive values for poultry and its feasibility and so on and so forth.
Khan further said that only 35 patents were registered in the field of agriculture across the country. He urged agriculture scientists to come up with the innovative ideas and registered those as patents.
The Vice-Chancellor UAF also said that the desert locusts have created the second largest threat for the country after Covid-19 as it was also causing a great threat to economy and particularly it was posing a serious threat to the food security of Pakistan with the rise of hunger and poverty among the masses.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, as many as 38% of the total agricultural area in the country had become the most basic breeding grounds for the desert locust where they attack without a pause.
The 97% of farming community comprised of small farmers that were not capable to adopt the mechanization which is impeding the process to boost up our agriculture.
China had developed a small technology for small farmers and they from six canals of land were earning income of about 8000 dollar per annum due to proper mechanization. Khan even stressed that we should also in need to build such technology on that pattern that will augment our agricultural productivity manifold.