ISLAMABAD, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the country has been taking all measures to modernize its agricultural sector through innovation, digitalization, precision farming and sustainable agricultural practices.
"Improving agricultural productivity, value addition, and increasing exports of agricultural products are top priorities of the Pakistani government," the prime minister said at a high-level meeting on agriculture.
He said that a comprehensive action plan was being devised to boost agricultural production and introduce agriculture reforms in the country, adding that a short- and long-term action plan will be implemented for modern agricultural machinery, quality seeds, geographical planning of crops, and provision of easy loans to farmers.
To enhance per-acre crop yield, Sharif underlined the need for agricultural research centers to be made more effective, saying modern research would be ensured through public-private partnerships in agricultural research centers.
He also said an action plan was formed for the development of small- and medium-sized agro-industries to enable the value addition of agricultural commodities and enhance export-ready products.
To mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on Pakistan's agricultural sector, the prime minister called for assistance for farmers in adopting climate-resistant seeds and modern farming methods. ■
