Rs150 billion loans will be provided to farmers in Punjab

The Punjab government has launched the Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card under which loans worth Rs150 billion will be provided to 500,000 small farmers on easy terms and conditions.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved the Kisan Card while chairing a high-level meeting under the “Green Punjab and Khushal Kashtkar” project in Lahore on Friday.

The CM was told that under the new scheme, farmers will also be given an agricultural loan of Rs30,000 per acre for purchasing the best seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides besides various other subsidies.

Model Agriculture Centers (MAC) will be established across Punjab in collaboration with the private sector. The agriculture centers will have modern agricultural machinery, training, pesticide seeds, and demonstration plots. In the first phase, a model agriculture center will be set up in every district so that farmers can get rid of fake fertilizers and medicines.

On the occasion, CM Maryam directed that the agriculture department should compile data about each crop, its demand, and per-acre yield.

Moreover, the CM also ordered to set up of a state-of-the-art Research and Development Centre at Agriculture University Faisalabad for Rs 2 billion to promote research on cotton, wheat, and rice seeds. Moreover, the center of excellence will be linked with regional universities as well. The center will research climate change, speed breading, gnomes, and germ plasma resources.

Moreover, CM Maryam was briefed that amendments to the Agriculture Pesticides Act and the Fertilizers Control Act will be made to prevent the sale of spurious agricultural drugs and fertilizers. The restructuring of the Punjab Seed Corporation and Punjab Agricultural Research Board was also reviewed in the meeting.

During the meeting, it was decided to introduce a law to prevent the use of agricultural land for residential purposes. It was decided that to equip the agricultural extension wing with modern technology 500 agriculture graduates will be recruited. Moreover, 24,800 latest agricultural equipment will be provided to the farmers for Rs7 billion within two years.

Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Information Minister Azma Zahid Bukhari, Agriculture Minister Ashiq Hussain, Pervaiz Rasheed, Saud Majeed, Chief Secretary Agriculture, President Bank of Punjab and other officials attended the meeting.