Liaquat Ali Chattha, the commissioner of the Rawalpindi Division, has directed all deputy commissioners to form a task force to improve the efficiency of the Agriculture Task Force.
Liaquat Ali Chattha, the commissioner of the Rawalpindi Division, has directed all deputy commissioners to form a task force to improve the efficiency of the Agriculture Task Force.
While presiding over the Divisional Agriculture Task Force Committee meeting in Rawalpindi, he gave the order. While DC Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal joined via video link, Rana Shahid, Director of Agriculture, Sadia Bano, Deputy Director of Agriculture (extension), Director Livestock Mohammad Sarfraz Chattha, and farmer representatives were also present.
“Task Force is working better. Each district should also elect three to four active farmers as members. In addition, tehsil-level WhatsApp groups that include farmers and agricultural officers share useful information for crops like rain forecasts, seed sales locations, the use of fertilisers and pesticides, supply of agricultural commodities, and modernising agriculture.”
He added that there are four laboratories at the division level where water and soil tests are being carried out and that all information regarding increasing yield per acre should be made available. “Farmers can get information about their land and which crops will produce more there,” he said.
He then ordered the deputy commissioner Chakwal to make sure the supply of the necessary quantity of seeds is made while taking prompt notice of farmers’ lack of availability of seeds.
The commissioner of Rawalpindi instructed the director of livestock to utilise the government-provided vaccines to their fullest potential by freely giving these vaccines to animals, we can protect them from deadly diseases.
Additionally, he instructed deputy commissioners to conduct independent verification of the livestock department’s immunisations. He added that although Pakistan is an agricultural nation, we need to go beyond these conventional approaches if we want to make agriculture truly profitable.
“Farmers need to be introduced to crops with value-added. Fruit, flower, and vegetable production can be very lucrative. We need to increase fruit and vegetable production in Potohar from its current 3 percent level to at least 30 percent, said Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha.