DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Adviser to the Chief Minister on Agriculture Mian Muhammad Umar has said that the provincial government was taking practical steps to accelerating efforts to promote modern irrigation technologies aimed at reducing water losses and increasing agricultural productivity.
He was speaking at a review meeting on the ongoing activities and progress of the Irrigated Agriculture Improvement Project being implemented under the On-Farm Water Management programme, said a handout.
The meeting reviewed the project’s development activities, targets, progress and measures for promoting high-efficiency irrigation systems. Agriculture Secretary Dr Muhammad Bakhtiar Khan, Director General Agriculture Research Dr Abdul Rauf, Director General On-Farm Water Management Hayat Khan, Project Director Irrigated Agriculture Improvement Project Muhammad Asif and district officers of On-Farm Water Management participated in the meeting, with the district officials joining through video link.
Officials briefed the meeting that work on the installation of high-efficiency irrigation systems was progressing rapidly to ensure economical and efficient use of water in the agriculture sector.
According to the briefing, work had so far been completed on 359 acres, while installation was under way on another 430 acres.
The meeting also examined the possibility of installing high-efficiency irrigation systems on land belonging to the Agriculture Research Department. The initiative is intended to link modern irrigation technology with agricultural research and demonstrate its practical benefits.
The meeting was further informed that the provision of laser land-levelling units was also in progress to improve water use, land levelling and irrigation efficiency. So far, 178 laser land-levelling units have been provided, while work on the provision and installation of another 50 units is under way.
Mr Umar said water was a vital and increasingly valuable resource for agriculture and its efficient and judicious use remained among the provincial government’s priorities.
He said high-efficiency irrigation systems could play an important role in increasing agricultural production, particularly in water-scarce areas. The use of modern technology, he added, would help irrigate larger areas with less water and ensure more efficient fulfilment of crops’ water requirements.
The adviser directed the relevant authorities to ensure that all activities under the project progressed according to the prescribed targets and that practical measures were accelerated to achieve the objectives set for the end of the year.
He also called for regular monitoring of the quality and pace of ongoing work and stressed the need for an effective strategy to extend the benefits of modern irrigation systems to a larger area and maximum number of farmers.
Officials said the project also focused on rehabilitation of watercourses, water-storage systems, laser land levelling and other measures aimed at improving the delivery of irrigation water to farmland.
The initiatives are intended to reduce water wastage, maximise the use of available water resources and provide farmers with modern agricultural facilities.
