MULTAN   -   The Punjab Agriculture Depart­ment decided to organise production competitions among sugarcane growers. According to a spokesperson for the Punjab Agriculture Department (Multan), sugar­cane is a crucial cash crop, and increasing its production per acre is essential. To achieve this goal, he recommended new production technolo­gies such as advanced seed varieties, sowing methods, timely sowing, appropriate use of fertilisers, timely irri­gation, and steps for effective prevention of diseases. Un­der the Punjab government’s Agricultural Emergency Pro­gramme, a five-year national programme to increase sug­arcane production per acre had been launched since the fiscal year 2019-20. It had been planned under the proj­ect that various activities of the project would be imple­mented during the current year. Registered farmers will be provided with zinc sulfate at concessional rates. In ad­dition, demonstration plots, seminars, and Farmers’Day will be organised to intro­duce new agricultural tech­nologies to farmers, and an awareness campaign will be launched to increase sugar­cane production. Subsidies of Rs30,000 per acre for plant­ing demonstration plots and Rs5,000 per acre for Septem­ber planting/mixed planting/encouraging bed technology will be provided to promote sugarcane cultivation.