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LAHORE, Jan 29 (APP):Provincial Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Punjab Ashiq Hussain Kirmani chaired a meeting at Agriculture House Lahore to review progress on key projects under Punjab Chief Minister’s Kissan Package and promotion of early cotton cultivation.
Secretary Agriculture Punjab, Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, was also present. The minister said that the scope of Chief Minister Punjab Kissan Card would be further expanded and so far, the issuance of 532,000 Kisan Cards has been approved, with Rs 53.8 billion sanctioned for the initiative. Out of this, Rs 34 billion has already been utilised, with 90 per cent spent on fertiliser purchases, primarily benefiting farmers in South Punjab.
Under the Chief Minister Punjab Green Tractor Program, 9,500 successful farmers were selected through a draw, of whom 9,008 have deposited their contribution for purchasing green tractors. So far, 8,823 tractors have been manufactured and 6,415 tractors have been delivered to farmers. Phase I of the Green Tractor Program will be completed in March, he added.
Under the Chief Minister Punjab Solarisation of Agricultural Tube Wells Programme, over 533,000 applications have been received, out of which 385,000 have been approved after scrutiny. Among these, 87 per cent of the applications were for converting diesel-powered tube wells to solar energy, while 13 percent were for electric-powered tube wells. The balloting for this program will be conducted on January 31.
The minister further mentioned that 70 percent of the grey structure work for Model Agriculture Malls in Sahiwal and Multan has been completed, while 60 percent of the work has been finished in Sargodha and Bahawalpur.
Under the Chief Minister Punjab Wheat Productivity Enhancement Programme, 14,976 applications have been received for laser land levelers, while 8,728 applications have been submitted for green tractors.
As part of the Chief Minister Punjab Smog Control Programme, 1,000 Super Seeders have been distributed so far. Last year, these Super Seeders helped process crop residue over 110,000 acres of land. Additionally, 7,805 farmers received Super Seeders on rent. In the second phase, 2,000 farmers have been issued allotment letters, out of which 1,788 Super Seeders have been booked. The minister emphasised that using Super Seeders not only helps control smog but also reduces production costs and improves efficiency.
The Land Information Management System (LIMS) under a project is progressing to facilitate farmers in renting modern agricultural equipment and machinery through service providers. Once fully operational, LIMS will provide comprehensive services for modern agricultural machinery.
Provincial Minister for Agriculture Punjab highlighted that, under the directives of chief minister Punjab, efforts are underway to promote early cotton cultivation across the province. This year, early cotton will be cultivated over one million acres, ensuring a strong cotton yield. The acreage distribution includes 380,000 acres in Multan, 215,000 acres in D.G. Khan, 150,000 acres in Bahawalpur, 120,000 acres in Sahiwal and Faisalabad divisions, and 15,000 acres in Sargodha division. Implementation of the Cotton Action Plan is in progress. Furthermore, CM Punjab has announced a seed support initiative of Rs 5,000 per acre for farmers cultivating early cotton on five acres, with a total allocation of Rs 2 billion. To benefit from this scheme, farmers must be Kissan Card holders.
Secretary Agriculture Punjab, Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, assured that Punjab Chief Minister’s Kissan Package is being implemented as per set timelines. He emphasised that special responsibilities have been assigned to field officers to oversee early cotton cultivation. A massive awareness campaign has been launched from January 16 to promote cotton cultivation, while early cotton will be cultivated during February 15 to April 15 .Secretary Agriculture said that tasks assigned at divisional and district levels for achieving early cotton target.
The meeting was attended by Special Secretary Agriculture Agha Nabeel Akhtar, Additional Secretary Agriculture (Planning) Capt. (retd) Waqas Rasheed, Director Generals of Agriculture Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, Naveed Asmat Kahloon, Rana Tajammul, and other senior officials.