MULTAN: Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jahanian Gardezi has said that food security and climate change are major challenges which need to be tackled with a strong and long-term strategy.
“The earth is an invaluable gift of nature because it plays an important role in fulfilling our nutritional needs. We have to perform our national obligation to protect it,” Gardezi further said while addressing the participants of the inaugural function of a two-day national conference on soil fertility and protection held at Bahauddin Zakariya University.
The provincial minister said that Pakistan is one of the 10 countries in the world which are most affected by climate change. Climate change has intensified the weather and increased the average temperature which is directly affecting the yield of our crops. Continuous cultivation of various crops, unbalanced use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers is seriously affecting the fertility of the soil, he added.
He said the conference will discuss issues related to food security, environmental pollution, climate change, agricultural water management which will help in accomplishing the objectives of the conference.
“Climate change, land degradation, increasing soil erosion, deforestation, misuse of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, burning of crop residues are the main factors which affect our soil fertility which need to be addressed permanently … With this we can not only restore the fertility of the earth but also improve the ecosystem,” he said.
The minister said that promotion of modern agricultural technology requires time to engage with other stakeholders, including universities, to raise awareness about soil fertility.
On the occasion, Pro-Vice Chancellor BZU Prof Dr Ali Muhammad said that it is necessary to hold such conferences to create awareness on the agricultural challenges facing Pakistan.
“Pakistan is an agricultural country and our economy is dependent on agriculture. In order to improve the economy, we have to get production according to the potential of our lands,” he added.
He said that farmers will also have to be guided on a regular basis to increase the organic matter of the land. In order to meet the needs of a growing population, it is important to focus on increasing the soil potential and restoring its fertility, he added.
In the seminar, the scientists gave lectures to the participants on climate change and soil management. The conference was attended by Additional Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Imtiaz Ahmed and soil scientists from across the country.
