In a significant development for small-scale farmers in Punjab, the provincial government has rolled out the Nawaz Sharif Farmer Card program.
Under this initiative, the Punjab government aims to provide favorable loans totaling Rs150 billion to 500,000 farmers.
During a meeting in Lahore, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif approved the Kisan Card as part of the “Green Punjab and Prosperous Farmer” project.
The meeting was attended by senior ministers Marriyum Aurangzeb and Azma Zahid Bukhari, Agriculture Minister Ashiq Hussain, Pervaiz Rasheed, Saud Majeed, Chief Secretary of Agriculture, President of Bank of Punjab, and other officials.
Officials briefed the CM that farmers would receive an agricultural loan of Rs30,000 per acre under the new initiative. This funding can be utilized to purchase high-quality seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, other agricultural necessities, and additional subsidies.
Moreover, the Punjab government plans to collaborate with the private sector to establish Model Agriculture Centers (MAC) across the province. These centers will have modern agricultural machinery, training programs, pesticide and seed availability, and demonstration plots.
Initially, one model agriculture center will be set up in each district to address the issue of counterfeit fertilizers and medications. The CM instructed the agriculture department to compile data on each crop, its demand, and per-acre yield.
Maryam Nawaz also directed establishment a state-of-the-art Research and Development Centre at Agriculture University Faisalabad to promote research on cotton, wheat, and rice seeds, with a budget allocation of Rs.2 billion.
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The Center of Excellence will collaborate with regional universities to enhance its capabilities, focusing on research areas such as climate change, speed breeding, genomics, and germplasm resources.
Officials also briefed Maryam Nawaz on planned amendments to the Agriculture Pesticides Act and the Fertilizers Control Act to curb the sale of counterfeit agricultural drugs and fertilizers.
The meeting decided to introduce legislation prohibiting using agricultural land for residential purposes. Additionally, it was agreed to recruit 500 agriculture graduates to modernize the agricultural extension wing.
Over the next two years, 24,800 state-of-the-art agricultural equipment will be provided to farmers for Rs7 billion.
