ISLAMABAD: The project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would give a tremendous boost to agriculture in the country, said Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) Chairman Dr Nadeem Amjad on Sunday.
“The PARC is playing leading role to educate farmers of Balochistan including Northern Areas to get benefit of the CPEC”, he said. He was addressing the scientists and experts keeping in view the future strategy in line with CPEC mega project. The meeting was attended by provincial and senior scientists at NARC.
In this connection, Dr Amjad said the scientists and experts were engaged to provide training to farming community of Balochistan.
“In Pakistan farmers are in difficulty to sell their products in the markets due to variety of problems but after launching of this important project, no doubt Balochistan farmers and other farmers in the country will be able to sell their produce in better prices”, he added.
He said the ultimate goal of the PARC efforts were to bring prosperity and alleviate poverty from Pakistan and link the farmers with economic corridor so that they could get the award of their labour at their own. He urged the scientists that, vegetable, fruit production and value addition of major crops and livestock production should focus on priority to make these profitable for enhancing the income of farmers.
He said this project would be a game-changer for the farming community and business community of Pakistan in terms of new economic opportunities leading to higher incomes and significant improvements in the living standards of general public.
Dr Nadeem said that as in future Balochistan was going to be a hub therefore various food processing zones would become in Balochistan province keeping in view its significance.
Speaking on strategic areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and other northern areas, Dr. M. Azeem Khan, Director General, NARC apprised that “our approach is focusing on research for productivity enhancement, development of research infrastructure, strengthening of existing establishment and the strategic planning for a productive agricultural research system”.
He said the research activities carried out mostly concentrated on identification of high yielding disease resistant germplasm of cereals, fruits, vegetables, pulses, and fodders, development of cultivation methodologies for important medicinal plants, introduction and multiplication of trout, improved seed and plant multiplication and also dissemination of research knowledge and technologies.
