Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jahanian Gardezi has said that wheat is a strategic crop of Pakistan and self-sufficiency in this crop enhances prestige of the country.
He said that Punjab is a food basket for the country and all out efforts are being made to promote and develop agriculture sector in the province further.
He expressed these views while addressing the participants of the Farmers Convention held in Kabirwala under the aegis of the agriculture department.
He said that all types of guidance and assistance is being provided to the farmers for increasing per acre yield during the current year.
He said the government is farmer-friendly and serious steps are being taken under the leadership of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar for betterment of farmers and the development of agriculture.
The target for wheat cultivation in Punjab this year has been set at 16.7 million acres and the production target has been set at 22 million metric tonnes, he said. Last year, wheat was cultivated on 514,000 acres in Khanewal district, yielding 699,000 tonnes.
Due to the farmer-friendly policies of the government and the hard work of the farmers, the wheat crop was planted on 16.4 million acres in Punjab province last year and for the first time in history, the production was 29 million metric tonnes.
