IFTIKHAR ALI SAHOO
SECRETARY AGRICULTURE PUNJAB / SOUTH pUNJAB

South Punjab is primarily an agricultural region, eminent for its fertile lands with rich cultural heritage. South Punjab has a unique identity as the country’s food basket. This region has cultivated cotton, wheat, maize, paddy, pulses, and other crops, including mango and citrus orchards. Around 77% of South Punjab’s population lives in villages, and more than ten million people depend on agriculture for their bread and butter; therefore, Agriculture is an integral part of the life of South Punjab people. It is possible to achieve food self-sufficiency by cultivating cash-generating, high-yielding, and net-profit crops on an uncultivated area of ​​approximately twelve million acres (11.945 million acres). It can also help increase their export and significantly increase South Punjab being the country’s agricultural economic engine.     

It is necessary to create an organized agriculture industrial system at the village level with cottage industries and provide such machinery that can add value to the high-value but low-volume crops and connect them with profitable value supply chains. The Agriculture Department South Punjab has been playing a vital role in uplifting, innovating, and streamlining the agriculture sector, ensuring both sustainability and profitability for our farmers and all other stakeholders since its inception in September 2020. It is working with a twofold mission to enhance crop productivity and sustainable Agronomic practices. The promotion of integrated pest management, digitalization of Agriculture, precision agriculture, introduction and adoption of high-tech mechanization, Research & Development, improving the service delivery, launching special initiatives, and organizing more effective training/workshops for department officers as well as the farming community to play a role in Agriculture advancement.                    

The purpose of launching this website of the Agriculture Department South Punjab is to provide guidance to farmers, expose them to modern agricultural technologies, and bring other residents of the region in touch with the Agriculture Department South Punjab. Along with this, the problems of the farmers can be solved by paying full attention to their complaints and suggestions. Agriculture Department South Punjab is fully aware that the future of agriculture is not just in the fields but also in the laboratories, workshops, and digital platforms. We envision a South Punjab where tradition meets technology and where every farmer is equipped with the tools, knowledge, and support to navigate through the challenges of the 21st century successfully.