Rice planters to raise yield up to 15%

According to The Express Tribune, officials told Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema at a Monday meeting that adopting rice planters could lift crop yields as much as 15% and reduce production expenses per kilogramme. The session looked at the scope for bringing the technology to the country's major rice-growing areas.

The minister asked the food secretary to draw up a wide-ranging feasibility study in consultation with provincial governments. Its scope covers economic viability, the capacity to improve cost efficiency and the probable impact on rice exports.

Cheema said the federal government would invest in the project alongside the provinces if the study found it viable. He also wants a proposal on how costs should be shared among federal authorities, the provinces and farmers.