Agriculture sector needs to be rediscovered

By Our Correspondent

CHITRAL: The agriculture sector needs designing a comprehensive, cost-effective and responsive system, incorporating soil conservation techniques and extending the area under-cultivation to make the sector sustainable and lucrative.
Agricultural expert Nauroze Wali told this scribe here on Wednesday that although the agriculture was occupation of major portion of the population but the income accrued from it was very low to support families without supplementing other occupations.
He said that only three per cent of the total area of the district was cultivable while the rest of it contained mountains, forests, glaciers, snow and rocks. He said that with the rapid increase in population, the area under-cultivation went on shrinking as the lands were used for construction purposes.
“It is a pity that the sector engages more than sixty per cent of the manpower but it fulfils less than fifty per cent of their needs keeping the farmers needy and indigent for ever,” he said. Although, mechanised farming had adopted in all parts of the district for the last two decades but the methods of farming and approach for crop choice was still obsolete, he said.
He said that the land was not suitable for wheat crop but it was grown on more than 99 per cent area under-cultivation without caring its output. He said that the district could be divided into many zones due to its enormous size and each zone was suitable for certain crops. When persuaded by Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), the farmers of Garam Chashma valley switched over to potato crop which fetched them lucrative income.
Mr Wali appreciated the efforts of the AKRSP for promoting fruit and vegetable in the area and imparting training to the women for the first time to generate income. The agriculture section raised nurseries of fruit trees and distributed the saplings of the improved qualities of apricot, apple and pear among the farmers, he said. He said that some valleys were known for the superb quality of local species of apple and pear and had great potential to change the very destiny of the farmers.
Regarding the livestock and poultry, he termed the situation of farmers more pitiable and said that the sector was hit by fodder shortage and vulnerability to diseases.
Meanwhile, a number of farmers said that apart from the agriculture department of the province, some other government-run organisations were also launched here for the promotion of agriculture, but they failed miserably. They described the names of on farm water management programme, project for horticulture promotion and the agriculture section of Chitral Area Development Project.
They said that the irrigation department miserably failed to complete more than ten projects of irrigation channels to bring more land under cultivation. They said that thousands of hectares of arid land could be brought under cultivation to increase the agricultural produce.
They said that agriculture could be transformed into a full-time profession if the potential was fully exploited on scientific basis with earnestness of the government. They said that the Lowari tunnel was nearly completion providing all-weather road to the district and it would increase the profitability of Chitral’s horticulture sector.--Dawn


Appointment of female EDO chitral hailed

CHITRAL: Lady Councillor Zulaikha Rahim has appreciated the appointment of Gulsambar Begum as executive district officer education in Chitral.
In a press statement issued here on Wednesday, she expressed the hope that the officer was well-conversant with the problems of education of the district and she would prove her mettle by raising the standard of education. She said that sector of female education needed special attention and the newly appointed EDO would use her best abilities in this regard.--Zahiruddin


Earth day observed in Chitral

CHITRAL: To create public awareness about importance of earth and conservation of natural resources, the Program for Mountain Area Conservation (PMAC), Ministry of Environment, held an event at Garam Chashma in collaboration with teh Conservation Management Committee (CMC) and village conservation committees (VCC). In this connection, a walk comprising students of different schools was also held. the participants carrying banners inscribed with messages to protect the earth walked through different bazaars and ended at GHS Garam Chashma. A function was also held in Government Higher Secondary School Garam Chashma where Amir Wali Khan, President CMC, was chief guest while the ceremony was presided over by Khuda Panah, Principal of this school. Atta Elahi, education officer of PMAC, briefed the participants. He said we should protect the earth and save it from pollution as it was like our mother.--GH Farooqui



Khowar program - Letter 2

On 21st April, the people of Chitral throughout the country and abroad with great joy and excitement watched Khyber news telecast in Khowar. Before 5pm people switched their digital devices to Khyber News, because in Chitral and Gilgit the channel is no longer available on Asia Sat-3, which is very popular among viewers.The first maiden attempt was well thought and well tailored attempt. I have a piece of suggestion for Khyber News. I propose that the 60-minute slat should be divided into four segments of equal timings i.e. 15 minutes each for news with current affairs corner, personality of the week and topic for the week.It would be convenient of the channel is made available on Asia Sat-3 once again.

Bashir Hussain Azad,
Chitral.


Khowar program - Letter 1

Hats off to the Khyber News initiative on Hindko and Khowar news in its regular telecast. After first Hindko news last week, Chitrali programme of news and views was telecast on Tuesday, 21st April 2009, at 5pm. Television is a powerful media and more than one million viewers of Khowar in Chitral, Gilgit and other parts of the Country and abroad now have access to electronic media through the Khyber news. I do congratulate the management of Khyber news for this initiative. I do hope the channel will include more informative segments like “ hot topic of the day” , or “ interesting conversation of the day” etc. I suggest only 20 minute for each segment. It would be convenient if the channel is linked up to Asia sat-3.

Dr. Inayat Ullah Faizi
Chitral.



50 small powerhouses for Chitral promised

By Our Correspondent

CHITRAL: District Nazim Maghfirat Shah has said that the federal minister for science and technology had assured the district government of construction of over 50 small hydro-power stations in Chitral.
Led by the district nazim, a team of the district government called on Minister Azam Swati in Islamabad on Wednesday to apprise him of the hydro-power potentials in the district and seek help of the ministry in this regard.
Talking to Dawn by telephone, the district nazim said that the minister expressed deep interest in the power potential of the district and accepted the invitation of the team to visit Chitral with a technical team to observe the sites.
He said that the delegation of the district government consisted of district Naib Nazim Sultan Shah, member district council Abdul Qayum Baig and others. He said that the district government had approached all relevant quarters to exploit the hydro-power potentials of the district from the very beginning.
He said that the fifty sites had a generation capacity of more than 500 kilowatts each and would provide cheaper electricity to the locals which would decrease burden on the forests. He said that the forests were depleting fast as the people depend on it to secure firewood in the absence of alternate sources.--Dawn