Daily Times

A one-day awareness seminar and mega farmers’ field day was organized here at Ratta Kulachi Farm to guide farmers about modern techniques for wheat cultivation and enable them to increase their per-acre yield.

The seminar was organized by the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), Dera Ismail Khan in coordination with Pakistan Agriculture and Research Council (PARC), Islamabad that focused on productivity enhancement of wheat under the PSDP Wheat Project.

PARC Islamabad Chairman, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali was the chief guest of the event while he was accompanied by a team from PARC including Dr. Shahid Maqsood Gill (Member NR PARC), Dr. Imtiaz Hussain (Member PSD PARC), Muhammad Arshad Farooq (DG P&DD PARC), Muhammad Sohail (National Coordinator Wheat PARC) and Dr. Ashiq Saleem (DG AZRC DIKhan). Besides, National Project Director of PSDP-Wheat Dr. Muhammad Yaqoob and the University of Agriculture DI Khan (UAD) Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shakeeb Ullah along with their respective teams were also present on this occasion.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture Research Director General Dr. Abdul Bari welcomed the guests and briefed them on the functioning of the agriculture research system in the province.

National Project Director of PSDP-Wheat Dr. Muhammad Yaqoob, while addressing the seminar, shed light on the current status of wheat crops, the impact of the PSDP project, and the advancements made under the project. He emphasized the importance of using recommended seed varieties and adopting mechanical harvesting techniques to get maximum yield.

Other speakers also highlighted the significance of modern technologies in the agriculture field. Additional Deputy Commissioner Dera Syed, Gulfam Shah expressed the importance of the event for the irrigated arid region of Dera Ismail Khan.

It’s worth mentioning here that Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali is a pioneer scientist who developed long-grain rice varieties series with a production range of 4500 to 5000 kg per acre. At the end, ARI DI Khan Director, Abdul Qayyum Khan thanked the participants and asked the farmers to adopt modern techniques for getting bumper crops. Moreover, he assured the farmers that his office was always available for their guidance.

The scientists from across the region, students from the UAD and Gomal University as well as a number of local farmers also participated in the seminar. Later, the PARC Chairman also inaugurated a ‘Dates Solar hybrid tunnel’ at the Ratta Kulachi Farm. The tunnel was made under ALP of PARC for the ripening and drying of Dhakki Dates.