RAWALPINDI, Oct 30 (APP): Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani has said that the provincial government has set a wheat cultivation target of 16 million acres for Rawalpindi Division as part of a province-wide campaign to promote wheat production.
He was chairing a meeting at the Commissioner Office Rawalpindi on Thursday to review arrangements for promoting wheat cultivation and achieving the set targets. Punjab Agriculture Secretary Shakeel Ahmad Mian, MPAs Malik Iftikhar Ahmad and Malik Aitbar Khan, deputy commissioners of Rawalpindi Division, senior agriculture officials, farmers and other stakeholders attended the meeting.
The minister said the provincial government had proposed a wheat support price of Rs4,500 per maund, while the overall wheat cultivation target for Punjab had been set at 16.5 million acres for the current season.
He said field formations had been assigned special tasks to ensure wheat cultivation on areas exceeding the prescribed targets.
Highlighting the importance of wheat for national food security, the minister said government initiatives had made wheat cultivation a profitable activity for farmers.
He said a subsidy of Rs320 million was being provided to promote the use of certified seeds, while a bag of certified seed from the Punjab Seed Corporation was available at Rs7,000 after a subsidy of Rs800 per bag.
He further said an additional interest-free loan of Rs17 billion was being provided for the purchase of DAP fertiliser for 5 million acres.
Under the Kisan Card scheme, farmers were also being offered an additional interest-free loan of Rs3,500 per acre, benefiting around one million farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Shakeel Ahmad Mian informed the meeting that the Agriculture Transformation Plan was being implemented in the Potohar region. He said the ongoing wheat cultivation campaign was being regularly monitored through field formations.
He stressed that active and practical cooperation from divisional and district administrations was essential for achieving the wheat cultivation targets.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
