UAF Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan addresses a delegation of farming community

The University of Agriculture Faisalabad will send a team of experts on the outskirts of Isa Khail, flood affected area, for soil analysis and educating farmers in order to increase yield. This was stated by UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan while addressing a delegation of farming community hailing from flood affected area at Syndicate Room. The farmers came here under the banner of a non-governmental organization (NGO) Taangh Wasaib Organization to discuss the issues of low productivity of their area. The farmers told that per acre wheat production in their area was below 15 maunds, posing a threat to their survival. They said that most of them are small farmers with high rate of illiteracy. The vice chancellor said that he was daunted by the low production that needs immediately attention of the experts. Keeping in view, he directed the UAF administration to arrange a visit of experts to the area as soon as possible. He said that it was matter of concern that the soil fertility was depleting sharply because of the little usage of organic fertilizer. He said owing to thick population, our country depends on the genetically modified crops. But we have to use some organic fertilizer in our field to make the soil healthy. Otherwise, the soil fertility will start approaching to zero that will be a devastation of the agricultural sector. He said that the world was moving towards the organic crop but our country housing huge population with less agricultural land cannot afford purely organic crops. We have to use a blend of organic and other fertilizer to keep the soil healthy. Responding to a question about cultivation methods, he said in India, majority of farming community uses the drill cultivation that was one of the secrets to excel in the agriculture. But unfortunately, our farming community was practicing broadcasting cultivation, he added. He said at the time of flood, the UAF distributed wheat, vegetable, fodder seed, school bags, inputs and minor implements amounting to thirty million rupees in the tehsil Athara Hazari of district Jhang among the victims, helped increasing production manifold. Taangh Wasaib Organization representative Daym Iqbal said that his organization was committed to serve the farming community by helping them and educating them about the modern trend. He said that his organization provided state-of-the-art seeds and fertilizers to the farming community and now, taking initiative to increase the fertilely. He said that agriculture was the backbone of our economy. He called for weaning farming community off the traditional methods to modern agricultural practices for increased yield.