SIALKOT – Punjab government has launched a comprehensive programme for promoting agriculture sector on modern lines and to save irrigation water from wastage through modern irrigation system.
Sources in Agriculture department told APP on Sunday that 25 percent canal water, 30 percent water courses and 35 percent water is wasted in agriculture fields from available water resources as a result of which availability of water reduced to 45 million acre feet whereas required water is 65 million acres feet is needed for crops annually in Punjab.
According to the experts, the agriculture sector is confronting with serious shortage of water since long and it will be more worsen in future.
The Agriculture experts urged upon the farmer community that they should adopt modern irrigation technology for avoiding the wastage of irrigation water.
The adoption of modern irrigation system will be supportive in saving 40 to 60 percent water as well as help to save 30 to 60 percent the wastage of fertilizer.
Sources said that Punjab government is committed to bring about revolutionary changes in agriculture sector on top priority basis and many steps had already been taken in this regard. The basic concept of this plan is to promote agriculture sector on modern lines to make it profitable and to enhance productivity.
The Punjab government has set aside Rs. 4.76 billion for a three year plan for the promotion of per acre yield in the province.
Drip irrigation system under the programme had been installed on over 11,000 acres of land while solar system for drip sprinkler had also bee installed over 1500 acres of land in various parts of the Punjab. Similarly under the government initiatives special steps had also been taken for promoting tunnel farming technology and so far tunnel farm technology had been installed over 350 acres of land in Punjab.
The tunnel farming will help promote the growing off-season vegetables around the year which will be supportive in improving the economic conditions of the growers of the Province. The programme will pave the way for introducing modern and profitable farming, enhancing productivity, lessening the productivity expenditures, better utilization of fertilizers and pesticides and save the water.
The government will provide 80 percent subsidy on installation of Solar system while the government will also provide 50 percent subsidy on the installation of Tunnels (Tunnel farm Technology) and 60 percent subsidy for sprinkler irrigation in the Province sources added.