ISLAMABAD, Sep 20 : Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has provided high-quality pulses seeds to farmers of Balochistan province in order to enhance the production of edibles in the country.
The other aim of the initiative was to enhance the farm income of small growers as well as to ensure food safety and security of the farming communities of such areas of the province, said Chairman PARC Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali.
Talking to APP here on Wednesday, he said that high-yielding pulse seeds have been distributed to farmers in 22 districts of Balochistan.
He further said that the council has played a pioneering role in the introduction and promotion of olive, saffron, pistachio, and other high-value fruit plants in Balochistan.
Chairman PARC reiterated the commitment of the Council, as the apex national agricultural research organization, to disseminate innovative agricultural research findings across the province to enhance farm income, particularly of the small farmers.
Dr Ali said that PARC has also planted approximately one million olive trees across eighteen districts of Balochistan and installed a drip irrigation system on 2,000 acres.
Our primary focus is on enhancing area under pulses crop in Balochistan to achieve self-sufficiency at the national level and to fulfill the dietary needs of the people of the province, he remarked.
Additionally, he said that PARC has launched multiple research programs for the cultivation of sesame and psyllium husk (Ispaghol) in various areas of the province, adding that it would also help in achieving sustainable agriculture growth in the country.
He stressed on the importance of modernizing agriculture in the province and pledged to allocate all available resources for this purpose.