Provincial Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani has inaugurated mobile pest surveillance squads to protect crops from pests and diseases and enhance agricultural productivity across Punjab.
The launch ceremony was attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari, Secretary Agriculture Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, director generals, and other officials.
Addressing the event, the minister said the Punjab government is modernising the agriculture sector with strong support from the chief minister, who has allocated significant resources to introduce innovation in the department.
He revealed that pest surveillance squads have been established under the Pest Warning programme for Rs470 million.
Kirmani said these squads will operate in the field to help farmers identify pest attacks early, diagnose crop diseases, and implement effective control measures.
In the first phase, the squads have been deployed in key agricultural regions including Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, and Sahiwal.
He added that 65 vehicles equipped with modern diagnostic kits have been provided at the tehsil level to ensure rapid detection of pests and diseases.
Secretary of Agriculture Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said 105 Plant Protection Assistants have been recruited under the program, and the performance of the squads will be monitored on a daily basis to ensure effectiveness.
The initiative aims to strengthen crop protection, support farmers, and increase overall agricultural output in Punjab.
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