The Punjab chief minister says Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card project in Punjab is the biggest in the history of Pakistan under which agricultural loans worth Rs 150 billion would be provided to 0.5 million small farmers on easy terms.
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-March 30th, 2024) Chief Minister Punjab, Maryam Nawaz has approved the launch of “Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card” program to facilitate farmers with subsidized farm inputs.
The chief minister said that Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card project in Punjab is the biggest in the history of Pakistan under which agricultural loans worth Rs 150 billion would be provided to 0.5 million small farmers on easy terms.
The Farmers, she said, would be given an agricultural loan of Rs 30,000 per acre for the purchase of best quality seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.
The CM outlined the establishment of Model Agriculture Centers (MAC) in all districts of Punjab aimed to facilitate farmers with modern agricultural machinery, training, pesticide seeds, and demonstration plots through collaborating with the private sector.
“In the first phase, one model agriculture center will be set up in each district. Farmers will get rid of fake fertilizers and medicines,” She added.
Punjab CM also instructed the agriculture department to formulate comprehensive information on the production and demand of each crop. She approved a proposal to set up a state-of-the-art center of excellence for research and development on cotton, wheat, and rice crops.
She agreed to run the administrative affairs of the Center of Excellence through a board and link these Research Centers with the Regional Universities.
Maryam Nawaz also issued orders to establish a state-of-the-art research and development center at the cost of 2 billion rupees at Agriculture University Faisalabad in collaboration with China. This Pak China R&D Center will provide a genome center, germplasm resource, speed breeding, and a dedicated research facility on climate change.
She also instructed the officials to propose amendments to the Agriculture Pesticides Act and the Fertilizers Control aimed to prevent the sale of spurious agricultural drugs and fertilizers. She reviewed the restructuring of the Punjab Seed Corporation and Punjab Agricultural Research Board. The meeting also considered to propose a new legislation to prevent the use of agricultural land for residential purposes.
CM Maryam Nawaz affirmed equipping the Agricultural Extension Wing with modern technology and employing 500 agriculture graduates.
