Global Rice News

LAHORE – Transforming Punjab Agriculture Package held a meeting at Agriculture House Lahore, chaired by Agriculture and Livestock Minister Punjab Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani. The meeting reviewed the progress of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz’s approved initiatives in the Agriculture field. Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Additional Secretary Agriculture Task Force Punjab Muhammad Shabir Ahmed Khan, Project Director Anjum Ali, DG Field Agriculture Ahmad Sohail, DG Agriculture Extension Chaudhry Abdullah Hameed, and Director General Agriculture Information Punjab Naveed Ismat Kahlon, along with other officers, also participated in the meeting.

Punjab Agriculture and Livestock Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani expressed that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s agricultural package worth more than 150 billion rupees will bring about a significant change for the farmers. The implementation of this package will mark the beginning of a new era of agricultural prosperity in Punjab. Minister Kirmani instructed to highlight the Chief Minister’s initiatives on the Agriculture House Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Helpline. A separate page will be created for each initiative on the website to provide guidance to the farmers. The provincial minister urged the farmers to distribute 35 types of farm-level equipment according to the regional formula. He emphasized the importance of following the rules and regulations for the success of Chief Minister Punjab Green Tractor Scheme, including third-party evaluation, dashboard development, registration, and non-transferability for 5 years. Minister Kirmani also mandated the use of Kisan cards for eligibility for the green tractor scheme and instructed the recruitment of 1000 agricultural trainee graduates based on merit.

The provincial minister endorsed that Pesticide, Seed, and Fertilizer companies should prioritize hiring these trainee graduates after one year of training at Agriculture House. Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani further suggested developing a comprehensive program to promote oil seed crops to minimize the import bill. He emphasized that supplying 5000 super seeders and 2000 rice shredders to farmers at a 60 percent subsidy will aid in controlling smog in the province.

Provincial Agriculture Secretary Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo reported that so far, about 169 thousand applications have been received from farmers to benefit from the interest-free loan of Kisan Card, with approximately 59 thousand applications already approved. Strategies are being developed to introduce brand harvesters to reduce losses during the harvesting of rice and wheat. The green tractor scheme plays a crucial role in farm mechanization, added Secretary Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo.

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