LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved ‘Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card’. Special meeting regarding agricultural reforms was held with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in chair.

Meeting reviewed proposal to bring law to stop use of agricultural land for residential purposes and restructuring of Punjab Seed Corporation and Punjab Agricultural Research Board. During meeting, Maryam Nawaz gave approval to issue ‘Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card’.

In this regard, she said that 500,000 farmers will be given loans of Rs 150 billion in year on easy terms through Kisan Card. Farmers will be given agriculture loan to tune of Rs 30,000 per acre for purchase of best seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

She said government will give various types of subsidies through Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card. She said model agriculture centres will be established in collaboration with private sector across Punjab.

Modern agricultural machinery, training, pesticides, seeds and model plots will be established at model agriculture centres. She said that in first phase, model agriculture centre will be established in each district of province. These steps will help farmers to get rid of fake fertilizers and medicines. She directed Agriculture Department to compile complete data on production and demand of each crop. Meeting approved creation of state-of-the-art center of excellence for research and development of cotton, wheat and rice crops.

It was approved in meeting to control administrative affairs of center of excellence through board and to link research center with regional universities.

It was decided that research and development centre will be established at cost of Rs 2 billion at Agriculture University Faisalabad with help of China. Pak-China R&D Centre will have facilities for research on genome, germ plasma resource, speed breeding and climate change. Amendments will be made in Agriculture Pesticides Act and Fertilizers Control Act to curb sale of fake agricultural drugs and fertilizers. Meeting was agreed to equip agricultural extension wing with modern technology and 500 agriculture graduates will be recruited.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 30 2024

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