FAISALABAD, Pakistan: The US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security (USPCAS-AFS) has established the Community Outreach Center at Chak No.411-GB Tandlianwala in order to resolve problems of farming community.
The state-of-the-art center is connecting the farming community with agricultural experts of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) through information technology.
Inaugurating the Center Tuesday, Director General Agriculture Extension Punjab Dr. Anjum Ali Buttar termed the initiative as step towards alleviating the poverty from the area.
The agriculture sector is facing the different challenge including low productivity, food insecurity, water issues and others, he said, adding that interaction of farming community with experts were imperative to increase the productivity and alleviate the poverty from the region.
He said that the government was making all-out efforts to uplift agriculture sector. He said that the government has reduced fertilizer prices and waived off GST on pesticide in order to make it easily affordable to the farming community.
He said that information technology has been playing vital role to provide innovative approaches for the farming community in the field of agriculture.
He said that through this community outreach center farmers would be able to connect with UAF scientists for seeking guidance on various emerging issues.
He added that Punjab government will announce a comprehensive relief package for farming community of the province.
USPCAS-AFS Outreach Chair, Dr. Babar Shahbaz said that this is second community Outreach center for the farmers of Far-flung areas.
The first center was inaugurated in Sammundri area and some other centers would be opened in other parts of the province.
