Punjab Minister for Mines presents memento to South African High Commissioner M Kumalo

Punjab Minister for Mines and Minerals Sheer Ali on Thursday said more water reservoirs are imperative to fight water scarcity issue which is haunting agriculture sector also. He addressed the concluding session of workshop titled “Water Management Technologies for the Professionals of Balochistan” arranged by the Water Management Research Centre, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. He said that water crisis looms in the country. The Government is committed to take every possible step in order to tackle the issue. He said agriculture was the backbone of our economy, contributing to 21 percent to the Gross Domestic Product. He viewed that the modern agricultural practices would not only increase the agricultural production but also help address the issue of food security. He stressed the need to promote the modern technologies in the every field of agriculture. He said: “the training will prove fruitful for participants who will disseminate the technologies among the farming community. It was need of the hour to educate the farming community about the water issues. It is the serious concern that the country was placed in the list of water scare countries. South African High Commissioner M Kumalo said that agricultural sector had great importance over globe because it provides food for ever increasing population of the world. He said that modern trend adaptation was vital to increase the agri productivity. He hoped that the participants of the training will make the best use of their knowledge. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that per capita water availability in the country had reached to the threshold level. He said that melting down of glaciers because of the global warning was the dangerous trend. He said that concrete efforts are needed to educate the people about the conservation of water. He said in agriculture water efficient techniques will be helpful in this regard. He said that the UAF had waived off the fee of Balochistan under the directives of the Punjab Chief Minister. WMRC Director Prof Dr Allah Buksh said that under the initiatives of FAO, the UAF had trained extension workers and farmers of Balochistan. They also visited the ongoing tent pegging competition and kabadi matches.