ICCI for increasing yield production to enhance exports

Our Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD Pakistan being the agrarian country, needs to utilize its full potential in the agriculture sector by adopting modern farming techniques and shifting its focus from conventional agriculture methodology which would ultimately increase the crop yield. Government should give emphasize to increase its exports in the agro sectors through research and developing more varieties of agriculture produce, said Yassar Sakhi Butt, President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), while addressing a meeting of the representatives associated in agro business. The ICCI President said that Pakistan had vast areas of cultivated land but due to conventional way of farming and lack of know-how of modern technology and sowing methods, the country was still unable to increase its per yield production which was the lowest in the region. Thus modernization and diversification of crops is very much needed in this sector to get optimum results and increase exports as our country greatly relies on agriculture, he added. He also proposed that growers should also give attention on non-seasonal agriculture produce because it would provide them a good opportunity of exporting these commodities to other countries along with meeting domestic needs. Yassar Sakhi Butt said that no serious efforts were made to increase crop yield so far, international agriculture experts must be invited to find ways and means for increasing per yield production and developing new varieties for fruits and vegetables. The ICCI President said that Pakistan could explore new markets of Asia, North Africa and Russia by giving more attention to organic agriculture items that could fetch sufficient foreign exchange.

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