PAD to distribute 10,000 subsidised tractors to farmers
The subsidy extended on these tractors will be Rs 500,000 per tractor. While under another scheme, 10,000 tractors (75 HP and above) both made locally or imported will get Rs 1 million subsidy. Meanwhile, under the wheat incentive support program, all 1,000 tractors are ready, 700 have already been delivered, and the remaining 300 will be delivered within two weeks.
Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani announced this while presiding over a high-level meeting held at the Agriculture House on Wednesday. The meeting reviewed ongoing and new development projects under the Chief Minister Punjab 'Transforming Punjab Agriculture' program. Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari and Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo also participated.
Highlighting various measures taken by the sitting government for agriculture, the Minister stated that under the wheat support program, Rs. 12 billion have already been distributed among farmers. He said the fiscal year 2025–26 will be a year of growth and prosperity for farmers.
He shared that in the first phase of kissan card program, 500,000 cards were issued, and 98 percent recovery has been achieved. Under this phase, Rs. 55 billion were allocated for interest-free agricultural loans, 85 percent of which were used for purchasing fertilizers. The kissan card is a flagship initiative of the Punjab government, and the number of cardholders needs to increase to ensure timely procurement of agricultural inputs.
In the second phase, Rs. 100 billion were allocated, of which Rs. 84 billion have already been disbursed and Rs. 35 billion utilized by farmers. Through this phase, farmers can purchase diesel, fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides without processing charges.
Regarding Model Agriculture Malls, he informed that 98 percent of the construction work of four agri malls has been completed. In the next phase, 10 more such malls will be established across Punjab. In the second phase of the agriculture graduates internship program, 2,000 additional graduates will be hired.
Under the solarisation of agri tube wells program, revised letters have been issued to 7,988 selected farmers. Inspection of 7,670 sites is complete, and 652 tube wells have been installed. The process will conclude by September 2025. The first and second phases of supplying super seeders under the smog control program have been completed. A total of 5,000 super seeders will be distributed before the rice harvest in September this year, with rural areas near the motorway given priority for the remaining 2,000.
In the fiscal year 2025–26, under the hi-tech mechanization financing program, 11 types of new modern machinery will be provided to farmers on subsidy. Around 1,000 machines will be distributed, with Rs. 30 billion allocated for this purpose. Service providers/farmers will be offered interest-free loans of up to Rs. 50 million, repayable in five years. The meeting was also attended by Special Secretary Agriculture Agha Nabeel Akhtar, Director Generals Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, Naveed Asmat Kahloon, Engineer Sajid Hassan, Rana Tajammul, and other officials.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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