Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has cleared the second phase of her agriculture reboot, anchoring it with a Rs100 billion interest-free loan fund for wheat growers and fresh subsidies on seed, fertilizer and diesel.
Meeting Highlights
- Support-price inputs – The new plan will let farmers buy seed and fertilizer at the government’s support price before sowing.
- Kisan Card Phase 2 – 4 200 farm suppliers are already signed up to serve cardholders.
- Green tractor rollout – 700 free tractors have reached growers; more will be added this season.
- Super seeders – 5 000 machines will be handed over by October to cut crop residue burning.
- Solar tube-wells – 7 988 applications received, 652 units installed, remaining sets due by September.
- Agri interns – 2 000 graduates begin field training in September with service work starting in October.
- China-backed machinery – Punjab will co-produce 20 types of high-tech equipment for local sale.
- Water course lining – A new project will cement channels to cut seepage and save irrigation water.
What Comes Next
The Agriculture Department will submit the final subsidy matrix within two weeks. Payments under the Rs100 billion loan window will move through the Kisan Card to stop middlemen from skimming funds. Field officers will verify land records on-site to speed up disbursement.
“Wheat farmers will not stand alone this year,” the chief minister told officials. She ordered a progress review every month and set an October deadline for all machinery deliveries.
Why It Matters
Punjab grows more than 70 percent of Pakistan’s wheat. Cheaper inputs and modern tools could lift yields just as global prices stay high. Solar pumps and lined water courses are also expected to cut energy bills and conserve groundwater for the next crop cycle.
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