PM asks Punjab govt to facilitate farmers.

LAHORE -- Prime Minister Imran Khan has termed agriculture 'the most important sector' for the country's future and asked the Punjab government to 'remove all hurdles for facilitating farmers'.

Briefing the media after Mr Khan's visit to the city on Friday, Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan said the prime minister recalled that Punjab used to provide food to 70 per cent of the country's population but had regrettably fallen back due to a lack of research and technology.

'This is why the agriculture sector is first priority of the government for the future development of the country,' she quoted the PM as saying.

Terms agriculture most important sector for country's future

The ministers concerned briefed the prime minister on their performance in the last 30 months and the PM assigned them targets for the second half of the term with timelines. Stressing the need to bring rural and urban areas on the same level of development, the PM asked the ministers to prepare strategies for tripling agri-produce on a war footing.

The prime minister was told that the province had sufficient stocks of wheat and the provincial authorities were moving against sugar hoarders on an effective and fast-track basis.

The prime minister directed the provincial government not to spare hoarders and stockists and make sure they did not succeed in punishing the common man. He also appreciated the strategy against hoarders.

According to the...