LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani, has directed the Punjab Seed Corporation, agricultural universities in Faisalabad, Multan, and Rawalpindi, agricultural research institutes, the Pest Warning and the Extension Department of the Agriculture Department to submit a detailed report on illegal occupations of government-owned land.
In a strong warning to illegal occupiers, the Minister emphasized that private individuals have no legitimate grounds for their unlawful possession of government land. He stated that the department is actively pursuing a zero-tolerance policy to remove illegal encroachments from its properties.
The Minister was addressing an important meeting at the Agriculture House in Lahore, which thoroughly reviewed the progress of agricultural development projects in line with the Chief Minister’s directives. These initiatives include an ongoing campaign against illegal land encroachments. Secretary of Agriculture Punjab was also present at the meeting.
The Minister further announced that the second phase of the Kissan Card initiative will now include small and medium-scale farmers who own up to 25 acres of land, with an increase in the per-acre loan limit to support a greater number of farmers. To date, 474,000 Kissan Cards have been issued. The Chief Minister has approved Rs54 billion for the Kissan Card programme, of which Rs35.3 billion has already been utilized, with 82 percent allocated to fertilizer purchases. The Minister instructed authorities to send reminders via calls and messages to farmers who have not yet received their cards. The second phase of the Kissan Card programme was also discussed in detail.
Regarding the Green Tractor Program, 9,500 farmers were selected through a ballot, of which 9,375 have deposited their share of the payment. So far, 9,228 tractors have been manufactured, with 8,012 already delivered to farmers. By March 15, the remaining 9,000 tractors will be distributed.
The Solarization of Agricultural Tube Wells Programme has received over 533,000 applications, with 385,128 applications verified through a draw. As a result, 14,648 approvals have been granted, including over 64,000 applications for electric tube wells and more than 46,000 for diesel tube wells. To date, 7,911 farmers have received their allotment letters.
The Minister also announced that the construction of Model Agriculture Malls in Sahiwal will be completed by April 15. Work is progressing rapidly in Multan, Bahawalpur, and Sargodha. The Agriculture Department will oversee the operations of these malls once completed.
Under the More Wheat Cultivation Programme, 57,000 applications have been received, with 2,356 verified through a draw. Of these, 1,603 applications have been approved, and a balloting will take place this month to select 1,000 lucky farmers.
Secretary of Agriculture Punjab mentioned that the department is collaborating with Deputy Commissioners to reclaim encroached lands, in accordance with clear directives from the Chief Minister. He also assured that the Chief Minister’s Farmer Package is being implemented on schedule.
The meeting was attended by Special Secretary of Agriculture, Agha Nabeel Akhtar, Additional Secretary of Agriculture (Task Force), Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Director Generals of Agriculture, including Ch Abdul Hameed, Naveed Asmat Kahloon, Rana Tajammal, Sajid, Abdul Qayyum, and Aamir Rasool, along with other officials. The Vice-Chancellors of Agricultural Universities in Faisalabad, Multan, and Rawalpindi participated online.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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