| QUETTA - Balochistan Agriculture Secretary Umaid Ali Khokhar on Friday said that the distribution of free rice seeds and other equipment would be started in four districts of Balochistan after Eid-ul-Fitr.
He expressed these views while talking to a group of journalists here. Umaid Ali Khokhar said under the leadership of the provincial government and provincial Agriculture Minister Mir Asad Baloch, the Agriculture Department was using all available resources for the development of agriculture in the province and providing facilities to farmers. He said due to the monsoon rains in Balochistan in 2022, there was a lot of damage to agriculture, gardens, crops, and vegetables were destroyed, which was estimated to be around 300 billion rupees.
He said that Balochistan Agriculture Department has launched a campaign for a free supply of wheat seeds in September and October to give relief to the farmers and to get them back on their feet. Despite severe financial difficulties, with the efforts of the chief minister and the provincial agriculture minister, arrangements were made for the free supply of wheat seeds for the restoration of agriculture, he said.
He said that a committee headed by the district administration has been formed in each district for transparent distribution and access to wheat seeds.
“381,500 sacks of best wheat seeds worth 2.2 billion were procured from Punjab province and distributed free of cost to farmers in 34 districts of the province,” he noted. He said that due to this there has been a record production of wheat in Balochistan this year.
The secretary said that the wheat requirement of Balochistan was currently 1.5 million tonnes while 1.6 million tonnes of wheat have been produced in the province. In response to a question, he said that after heavy monsoon rains and floods in 2022, the Asian Development Bank announced a loan of $15 million and a grant of $5 million to Balochistan.
He said that with a grant of $5 million, a plan was made to provide free rice seeds and other agricultural machinery and equipment to the farmers in four districts of Balochistan including Suhbatpur, Jafarabad, Nasirabad and Jhal Magsi. This plan has been made in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture of AFO, he underlined. He said that immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr, the supply of free rice seeds would be started in 4 districts of Balochistan, which would help the farmers stand on their feet again. Replying to another question, he said that 60 percent of the wheat was produced in Balochistan and 70 percent of the rice was produced in Naseerabad and Jafarabad.
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