Developing peanut products, farmers can get better income from this crop: DC Attock Rao Atif Raza

ATTOCK, Nov 11 (SABAH): The agricultural experts and prominent peanut producers shared their experiences to mark the Peanut Festival and also showcased innovative and value added products, including agricultural implements, olive jams, olive pickles, olive oil, peanut oil, peanut butter, peanut sweets, and peanut milk.

Speaking on the occasion, Malik Fateh Khan, Chief Executive of Ghazi Barotha Development Institute, said that 87 percent of groundnuts in Pakistan are produced in Rawalpindi Division. He said that the fair will encourage the farmers to cultivate groundnut at a modern level. He said that the festival will provide an opportunity for communication and problem solving between agricultural research and farmers. He further said that the festival will create a tendency among the farmers to increase the cultivation and production of groundnut. He said the rural women produced different varieties of products, but they had no national or international recognition.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ghulam Nabi, Principal Scientist, Center for Peanut Research, Attock, said that the center has developed two varieties of peanuts with the best production, namely Fakhr Attock and Attock 2019. Advanced research on this is going on at the Center for Research in Groundnut Attock. He was of the view that farmers should use modern varieties for better groundnut production.

Chief guest, Deputy Commissioner Attock Rao Atif Raza in his address said that Pakistan is a significant consumer of edible oil, with peanuts being one of the primary cash crops for oil production while organizing the Peanut Festival, the cultivation of groundnut in the region and the increase in production per acre, as well as the products made from it, will be promoted. He was of the view that by developing groundnut products, farmers can get better income from this crop. He said that similar fairs and seminars should be organized at the Union Council level as well.

Rao Atif Raza also said the agriculture sector had been facing tremendous challenges and pledged to form an action plan to address issues related to the marketing of groundnuts to farmers and to promote local products through female entrepreneurs.