Gilgit to be next agricultural hub

RAWALPINDI: Development of the agriculture sector was among the top priorities of the government and the prime minister’s Agriculture Transformation Plan was a revolutionary initiative to shift conventional agriculture to the next level; commercial agriculture, said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema.

Addressing a seminar on Tuesday, he said that the government policy of agricultural transformation is not only for food security of the country but also addresses the physical nutritional needs of every citizen of Pakistan. He said that there was a dire need to improve nourishment of humans and animals in the country because each person across the world consumed 210kg of fruits and vegetables almost every year while in Pakistan the per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables stood at 63kg.

“Each individual across the world consumes 370kg grains and in Pakistan the consumption is 200kg whereas 40 million tons of feed is required for our animals and we are producing 13 million tonnes.”

Cheema said that the government was allocating different districts for different crops under which the problem of water would also be controlled and imports would be reduced by increasing the production of agricultural commodities. Highlighting the prime minister’s policy on agricultural transformation, he said that Pakistan would eliminate soybean imports by 2024 and Gilgit would be the next agricultural hub of Pakistan under this policy.