LAHORE: While according in-principle approval for the Phase-II launching of the projects of the Agriculture department, Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif also sought a plan for providing agricultural inputs to the wheat farmers at subsidized rates.
The farmers will be given loans worth Rs 100 billion through 628,000 Kissan Cards in Phase-II.
The Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif presided over a special meeting regarding the Agriculture Department which approved CM Special Projects Phase-II. Under the Agriculture Transformation Programme, 500 mini dams and 250 water reservoir projects were reviewed in Pothohar. It was agreed to provide interest-free loans worth Rs 100 billion under Kissan Card Phase-II.
A detailed briefing was given on Green Tractor, Model Agriculture, Tube Well Solarization, Wheat Programme, Super Seeder, Citrus, Pothohar, Agri-Transformation and other issues. The chief minister underscored that wheat farmers will not be left alone, a new project will be launched before the crop is harvested. The meeting reviewed proposals for advance subsidy to reduce the input cost of wheat.
Farmers owning up to 25 acres of land will be able to get diesel, fertilizer, seeds and agricultural chemicals through Kissan Card. On the direction of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the processing fee of Rs 1,000 has been abolished in Kissan Card Phase-II Project. The registration of 4,200 agricultural suppliers for Kissan Card Phase-II has been completed. The target of 99 percent loan recovery from farmers in Kissan Card Phase-I has been achieved.
Under the Green Tractor Programme Phase-II, 20,000 tractors will be available on subsidy. The government will pay a subsidy of Rs 500,000 for 50 to 65 horsepower and Rs 1 million for 75 to 125 horsepower. The collection of applications for the Green Tractor Scheme will start in August. The manufacturing and distribution of green tractors will be completed in September.
The chief minister directed continuous monitoring to ensure the presence of green tractors in the field. The CM Model Agriculture Mall Phase-II will be launched in 10 districts from July. Model Agriculture Malls will be built in Faisalabad, Jhang, Okara, Khanewal, Rajanpur, Vehari, Rahim Yar Khan, Sheikhupura, Attock and Mianwali.
The CM directed to make Model Agriculture Malls functional in Multan, Sargodha, Bahawalpur and Sahiwal in July. It was informed in the meeting that under the Agri Internship Programme in Punjab, 1000 agricultural graduates have assisted two million farmers. Under the Agri Internship Programme Phase-II, training of 2000 agri interns will start in September and field service in October. CM Solarization of Agriculture Tube Wells received 7988 applications and 500 applications were rejected after physical verification was found to be fraudulent. Solarization of 7670 agri tube wells has been started and solarization of 652 tube wells has been completed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
