SANGHAR, April 30: Federal minister for food and agriculture, Khair Mohammad Junejo, has said that the remission in agricultural loans up to Rs25,000 announced by the president would be granted after assessment by a committee and identification of Dehs most affected by water shortage.

He also stressed the need of building water resources in the country, saying otherwise the future would be very bleak.

The federal minister was talking to newsmen at Sanghar Press Club on Monday.

He said that despite the shortage of water the country exported 1.5 million tons of wheat last year and this year 14 million surplus bales of cotton were lying unsold in the ginning factories.

Mr Junejo said that a lot had to be done to improve the quality of wheat for its export since due to inferior quality of wheat, they fetched low prices in international market.

He said that 70 per cent of the population of the country depended upon agriculture and that was why President Gen Pervez Musharraf was giving top priority to promotion of agriculture and many incentives would soon be announced to encourage farmers.

He also stressed upon adopting modern technologies in agriculture to get maximum yield per acre.