The Punjab government has announced Rs 100 billion for growth and development of the agriculture sector in the province.
Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif made this announcement while addressing the Punjab Agriculture Conference 2016 at a local hotel on Saturday.
Shehbaz Sharif said education, research and planners were needed for enhancing per acre yield of crops. He added that modern technology and cheap agriculture inputs were vital to increase yield of crops. He said the aim of Punjab Agriculture Conference 2016 was that all working groups, including academia, small and big farmers, sit together and come up with recommendations in light of which, improvement and betterment could be ensured to boost agriculture in the province.
A meeting of these working groups would be convened on April 3 or 4 to further discuss the issue, he added.
The chief minister announced that a Kisan commission was being formed which he himself would chair. The chief minister said $36 billion would be utilised for different energy projects out of the total investment of $ 46 billion given by China.
He said most of these power generation projects would complete by 2017 and 2018 after which electricity would be available in abundance at a cheap rate.
After the completion of 3,600 MW power projects, which would run on gas, electricity would be available at a cheap rate and the work in this regard was in progress, he added.
Provincial Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed said farmers were facing problems and were not getting due profit of their crops due to climatic changes at global level.
He said:” Keeping in view climate change conditions and local conditions we have to bring innovation and new policy to cope with the existing challenges.”
Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said completion of power generation projects would bring a positive change in the country adding that the chief minister had always served the masses with honesty and sincerity.
He said the PML-N had faced the most strict accountability and hurdles should not be created through sit-ins and rallies.
Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari and Karam Bandial also spoke on the occasion.
CM APPRECIATES CHINESE INVESTMENT:
Separately addressing the inaugural function of 5th Pak-China Business Forum, Shehbaz Sharif said that Pak-China relations are exemplary adding that China has always supported Pakistan in difficult time. The chief minister advocated strong economic, trade and social relations between the two countries.
Shehbaz Sharif, in his address termed $46 billion investment in Pakistan, a great gift of China and said that Pakistani nation will always be grateful to the Chinese government for the gift.
Referring to the ongoing projects in Pakistan with the cooperation of China, Shehbaz Sharif said that for the first time, work has been started on the projects in energy, infrastructure, transport and other sectors. He said that the completion of projects with such transparency is unprecedented in the history of Pakistan.
Chinese Consul General Yu Boren in his address said that the chief minister has introduced the culture of completing public welfare projects with transparency, high quality and speed in the province. He said that credit of work being carried out on 1320 megawatt coal power plant, 900 megawatt solar projects, gas-based plants and other projects under the CPEC, goes to Shehbaz Sharif.
Yu Boren said that work is also being carried out on orange line metro train round the clock. No doubt, economy of the province is progressing under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, he said.
Federal Minister Rana Tanvir Hussain in his address said that the chief minister has played key role in taking Pak-China relations to new heights.
