This was stated by UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Zafar Iqbal Randhawa at consultative workshop on the need based integrated E- Learning System for Agriculture Technology Transfer arranged by Institute of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development. He said that Information and Communication Technology had become essential for effective dissemination of awareness campaign. He stressed upon the need to step up collaborative efforts to address the issues of farming community, agriculture sector, increase per acre productivity and make agriculture profitable.
He said that we can increase the productivity manifold and also make sector profitable by ensuring quality seed, machinery, balanced fertilizer, latest practices, weed eradication,. He said that there is a need to increase the awareness among farming community. He said that at the time of inception, the country population was 35 million in 1947 which had touched to 200 million. With an increase in the population, the agricultural land has shrunk.
Dr Khalid Mahmood said that it is need of the hour to use IT and android based technologies for the effective communication in awareness campaign besides other tools of the communication. He said that agriculture sector was directly linked to the poverty alleviation as the most of our population was depending upon the sector. He also suggested increasing the investment in skill development. He said we need a diversification to make the agriculture a profitable business. Dr Shoukat Ali, Dr Abid Ghani, Dr Aqeela and other notables spoke on the occasion.