Small farmers should be offered training: NA Committee

Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research of the National Assembly has recommended that small farmers should be offered training/awareness programme for the betterment of agriculture sector.

“It is also recommended that government should provide subsidy to the farmers in this regard and the Committee further recommended that government should allocate maximum funds to this institution for growing and strengthening of agriculture sector in the country.” the press note said which was released after 38th meeting of the Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research of the National Assembly was held in Committee Room of the National Agricultural Research Centre, Park Road, Chak Shahzad, Islamabad, under the Chairmanship of Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, MNA.

The Committee approved the minutes of the last meeting held on 29-03-2017.

Senior Director, National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB) briefed the Committee about the functioning of National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB).

He said that this institution was established at NARC under the umbrella of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC). The major functions of National Institute for Genomics and Advance Biotechnology (NIGAB) was to give attention to the discipline of advance agriculture biotechnology and genomics (crops and animals). He added that currently this institution was leading the research for security, food sovereignty and food safety in this country.

The committee appreciated the role of Mr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Sr. Director, NIGAB for playing vital role regarding to make the institution more valuable to this country. The Committee also emphasized that the research for development of new varieties of crops against disease, salinity and drought; selection of animal breed; and development of new drugs etc. should be continued on priority basis.

Choudhary Iftikhar Nazir, Mr. Tahir Iqbal Ch., Syed Iftikhar-ul-Hassan, Ms. Shahnaz Saleem, Muhammad Salman Khan Baloch, Dr. Fouzia Hameed and Ms. Parveen Masood Bhatti MNAs attended the meeting. The meeting was also attended by senior officers of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.