Punjab unveils Rs5,000 per acre support for wheat farmers

LAHORE: Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced a comprehensive wheat farmer relief package of Rs 110 billion. Unlike Punjab, no other province is currently offering substantial subsidies or assistance to wheat farmers.

A relief package of Rs 25 billion has been approved under the Wheat Farmers Support Program. Following the Chief Minister’s directive, wheat farmers will get Rs 5,000 per acre, which is a total of Rs 25,000 for 5 acres.

These important decisions were approved in a special meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

Flour mills are now legally required to purchase at least 25 percent of their wheat locally, and a formal notification has been issued to approve the electronic warehouse receipt policy.

Maryam Nawaz has directed the provincial agriculture minister to monitor the wheat procurement campaign in collaboration with the Price Control Department. Bank of Punjab has been ordered to set up a credit line of Rs 100 billion.

The briefing revealed that wheat farmers purchased agricultural equipment worth Rs55 billion through Kisan Cards. Farmers received a subsidy of Rs10 billion for 9,500 tractors and 1,000 tractors were distributed free of cost, worth Rs2.5 billion.

A subsidy of Rs8 billion has been given for solarizing tube wells and another Rs8 billion is being provided for 5,000 super seeders.

Farmers will get about Rs25 billion under the per acre assistance program. The highest wheat producer in the province will get an 85 HP tractor worth Rs4.5 million, the second-ranked farmer will get a 75 HP tractor worth Rs4 million and the third-ranked farmer will get a 60 HP tractor worth Rs3.5 million.

At the district level, the top wheat grower will be awarded Rs 1 million, the second Rs 800,000 and the third Rs 500,000 – a total of Rs 104 million in prizes under the wheat production competition.

An agriculture internship programme worth Rs 1.25 billion has been launched to help farmers. Around 1,000 interns have been deployed across the province to help wheat farmers in the fields. Early cotton growers will get Rs 25,000 per block, totalling Rs 370 million.