LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced major measures for farmers, including the establishment of the province’s first Apna Kissan Bank and interest-free loans of up to Rs10 million.
Announcing the measures, she said farmers would receive loans of up to Rs10 million at zero markup, while loans of Rs30 million would carry a 2 per cent interest rate and loans of Rs50 million a 5 per cent rate.
She said wheat procurement would be ensured at the support price of Rs4,500 per maund. The loan limit on the Kissan Card is being raised by Rs3,500 per acre, taking it from Rs30,000 to Rs33,500.
Maryam Nawaz also announced a special package for olive cultivation and urged farmers not to burn crop residue to help eliminate smog.
According to figures released on the Kissan Card, over one million small farmers are benefiting from the facility. Some 25,000 tractors have already been provided to farmers on subsidy, with another 50,000 being provided. Subsidised loans worth Rs17 billion will be given to farmers, and 1,500 agriculture interns are working in the field, each paid Rs70,000 a month.
The chief minister said Rs3 billion in financing was provided over 11 years, while the agriculture budget has been raised from Rs15 billion to Rs400 billion. She said Rs70 billion is being provided for high-tech mechanisation and that Pakistani companies are manufacturing 30,000 tractors.
She added that 400 mini dams are being built in Pothohar, 400,000 animals were fattened in one year, and a further 600,000 livestock will be prepared this year.
According to the chief minister, Punjab is meeting 70 per cent of the country’s food needs, and the wheat support price has been set at Rs4,500.
Maryam Nawaz said farmers have received Rs400 billion through the Kissan Card over the past two years, with one million farmers benefiting from the facility.
Addressing a delegation of farmers, she said the government is continually taking steps to provide facilities to farmers and resolve their problems. She said one million farmers are linked with the government through the Kissan Card and are benefiting from the programme.
The chief minister claimed that black marketing of fertiliser and other agricultural inputs has ended since the present government came to power, adding that reducing farmers’ difficulties and providing them facilities is among its priorities.
She said 25,000 tractors have been provided to farmers in Punjab and are being used for agricultural purposes. A programme for renting agricultural machinery is also running successfully, she said, and this year 1,000 interns have been recruited and are being paid a monthly salary of Rs60,000.
She said post-budget debate has begun in the Punjab Assembly, farmers will receive their entitlements at their doorstep, and farmers will be given Rs100 million at zero markup. She said the government trusts farmers and pledged to stand with them.
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