ISLAMABAD - Minister for National Food Security & Research, Sikandar Hayat Bosan Saturday said that no new taxes will be imposed on onion crop and there will be no ban on its exports.
“The government is determined to facilitate farmers and has neither any intention to impose ban on exports nor would it impose additional tax on onions,” the minister said while talking to media persons here.
He said that consumption of onion in the country was 20.84 million tons adding that the crop production would be increased to cater to the domestic requirements. The Prime Minister has constituted a committee that would be chaired by Sikandar Hayat Bosan to hold consultative meetings with the representatives of farmers at provincial level and submit its report within six weeks. He said that for ensuring overall economic development of the country, it was necessary to make agriculture profitable. The minister said that the government was devising farmer-friendly policies to provide every possible assistance to farmers for the development of agriculture sector.
In addition, he added, the agriculture scientists have been directed to equip the farmers with latest technology and introduce new varieties to help promote onion production in the country.
Meanwhile, A suitable time for planting onion nursery lasts till end of November and farmers should use 3kg seed in per acre of land. A spokesman for the department said on Saturday that growers should prepare land properly and make small plant beds and sow a seed in one inch deep linings. He also suggested growers to use one and a half sacks of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and one bag of Potash on per acre of land.