Agriculture minister says farmers’ prosperity Punjab govt’s main priority

LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Minister Ashiq Hussain Kirmani while reviewing the projects being carried out under transforming agriculture plan for the province said that the primary focus of the government is the advancement of farmers’ prosperity and the provision of maximum facilities to support him.

At a meeting held at the agriculture house Wednesday, the Minister said that steps were being taken in line with the vision of the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

During the meeting, Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahu provided a detailed briefing to the provincial minister on these plans.

He outlined the significant challenges and the roadmap ahead for the agricultural sector, including allocations such as 7.6 billion rupees for machinery procurement, 10 billion rupees for infrastructure construction and repair, 10 billion rupees for transitioning tube wells to solar power, 4 billion rupees for rehabilitating the Department of Agriculture (Extension), and offering farmers access to loans on favourable terms.

Furthermore, 10 billion rupees had been designated for loans on easy terms, 1.25 billion rupees for establishing model agriculture centres, and 2 billion rupees for establishing Centres of Excellence.

The Provincial Agriculture Minister emphasised that modern agricultural equipment, machinery, and solar systems would be subsidized to alleviate the production costs for farmers, adding concrete measures would be implemented towards this end.

He stressed that effective execution of research and development, agricultural marketing, and mechanization plans could yield substantial results.

The minister highlighted the imperative of addressing water management and bridging the gap between production and investment to enhance productivity.

Kirmani underscored the urgency of revitalizing the Department of Agriculture (Extension), establishing model agriculture centres, and facilitating farmers with easy access to loans through the Kisan Card scheme.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024