LAHORE: The Punjab government is set to launch the second phase of its livestock card initiative which will see the distribution of loans against 300,000 animals to farmers across the province over a six-month period.
The announcement was made during a high-level meeting chaired by Provincial Minister for Livestock and Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani where progress on several key initiatives in the livestock sector was reviewed.
Under Phase-2, the number of animals allocated per farmer has been increased, allowing each beneficiary to receive between 5-20 animals. So far, over 150,000 applications have been received for the scheme while the urban unit has already completed physical verification of 161,000 animals, with the remaining verification work currently underway.
The meeting, held at the livestock department also included a comprehensive review of the recovery progress from livestock card phase-1. The Minister was informed that 95 percent of the recovery process had been completed. He congratulated the divisional directors and officers across Punjab for their performance, noting that their dedication reflected the department’s commitment to achieving its targets. He directed that the remaining five percent of recoveries be completed at the earliest and instructed the Punjab monitoring desk to immediately share pending data with the urban unit.
Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani emphasized that all animals being distributed under the scheme will be tagged for identification and traceability. He further announced that as part of Phase-2, 5,500 animals will also be distributed among rural women in 12 districts of South Punjab. Applications for this initiative are being received from June 20 to July 20, and more than 58,000 have been submitted so far.
The Minister praised the livestock initiatives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, stating that farmers are already witnessing the economic benefits of these programs. He expressed confidence that the continued implementation of livestock projects will significantly uplift rural livelihoods.
During the meeting, the Minister was also briefed on the department’s preparedness in the light of potential flooding across Punjab due to the ongoing monsoon season. Officials informed him that emergency plans have been implemented in river-adjacent districts.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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