PARC provides subsidizes seeds of pulses to 41,705 farmers

Islamabad: Pakistan agriculture research council (PARC) has provided subsidized seeds of different beans to 41,705 farmers under its pulses development initiatives across the pulses producing areas in the country. Different pulses seeds were provided to local farmers on the subsidy of 50%, aims to enhance the per acre yield of various pulses to attain self-sufficiency in the production of the leguminous crops.

Dr. Muhammad Mansoor Joyia National Coordinator (food legumes) Plant Sciences Division of PARC said that the other objective of this initiative was to reduce the reliance on imported pulses which were annually consuming billions of dollars.

Talking to APP here on Tuesday, he said that the national pulses policy framework developed under the program besides organizing three stakeholders traveling seminars and pulses machinery distribution among the farmers across the four provinces. He said that after the commencement of the program, releasing 15 varieties of different pulses and twelve portable irrigation systems were also provided to the farmers

Further, he said that the country’s mung bean production was 133 thousand tons at the time of the project commencement, which enhanced to 209 thousand tons after the first year of interventions like the provision of improved varieties of seeds on 50% subsidy, farmers capacity building, and farmers field demonstration plots with better production technology. In 2021, the production of mung beans reached 253 thousand tons attaining self-sufficiency level for the country as local demand was estimated at 180 thousand tons.

News Source: urdupoint.com