QUETTA, Oct 23 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday said there was great potential for development of agricultural sector in Balochistan, which required a strategy for imparting skills to the people of the province.
He said close liaison with SUPARCO (Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission) for identification of crops would help boost the agriculture in the province.
Chairing a high level meeting on agricultural development in Balochistan at the Governor House, he said the technical assistance should be sought from SUPARCO for the timely information on various crops grown in the province, while an IT application developed by the Federal Government could also be helpful in that connection.
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Fakhar Imam, Balochistan Governor Justice (retd) Amanullah Khan Yasinzai, Provincial Minister Noor Mohammad Dumar, Balochistan Chief Secretary Captain (retd) Fazil Asghar
and Secretary Agriculture Qambar Dashti attended the meeting.
President Alvi said drastic measures were required to secure the agricultural future of Balochistan. Public-private partnership should be encouraged for achieving the goal, he added.
Proper use of available water resources could help in sustainable agricultural development, he said.
The president said fisheries were another sector which had the potential for development and steps on war footings were needed for the purpose.
He pointed out that there was a huge demand for Halal meat all over the world, including China, and stressed the need to explore such markets internationally, which would not only generate sizable revenue for the people attached with the livestock but also for the Balochistan government.
The president said skilled manpower was required to achieve the goal of agricultural development and the services of the National Skilled University could be availed for imparting skills to the people in the province.
He said apart from agriculture, progress on the development projects under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in the province could be easily traced through satellite imagery.
Stressing the need for establishing close coordination among relevant institutions, President Alvi said the Balochistan government should keep liaison with the Federal Ministry of Food Security and Research for the purpose of consultation and assistance to develop agriculture and fisheries sectors.
He said the Nature had blessed Balochistan with climate conditions and soil, which was too much conducive for the cultivation of olives.
Earlier, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Fakhar Imam briefed the meeting about the crops and the potential for agriculture sector’s development in Balochistan.
