Zahid Baig

LAHORE: Minister for Agriculture & Livestock Punjab Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani announced on Wednesday that the second phase of ‘Kissan Card’ will commence from May 15th under which interest-free agricultural loans for the Khareef season will be provided to the growers.

A budget of Rs75 billion is being allocated for interest-free loans for Kharif crops under the Kissan Card initiative. During this phase, farmers will also be able to purchase diesel with 25% of the amount and receive 30% of the loan in cash. He further shared that farmers owning 8 to 10 acres of land are proposed to be eligible for interest-free loans in the second phase and this proposal will be sent to the Chief Minister for final approval. Additionally, timely repayment of previous loans under the Kissan Card will make farmers eligible for a financial support package of Rs5,000 per acre.

The minister made these remarks at a high-level meeting he chaired on Wednesday which reviewed the progress on projects aimed at the development of the agricultural sector. Present on the occasion were Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari and Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo.

Regarding the Chief Minister Punjab Green Tractor Programme, the Minister said that 9,250 green tractors have been delivered in the first phase. In the second phase, a proposal is under consideration to provide 10,000 to 20,000 locally manufactured tractors (60–85 horsepower) to farmers at subsidized rates which will also be sent for final approval by the Chief Minister. He added that 80% of construction work on Model Agriculture Malls in Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, and Sargodha has been completed. A proposal to construct 10 more model agriculture malls in the second phase is also under consideration. In the second phase of the agriculture graduates internship programme, recruitment of an additional 2,000 agricultural graduates is proposed. These graduates will be placed in all sub-departments of the Punjab Agriculture Department. Under the Chief Minister Punjab Smog Control Program, the first phase of supplying super seeders has been 100% completed. By September this year, before the rice harvest, 5,000 super seeders will be provided to farmers. Farmers across the province will be able to submit applications for super seeders.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

Published Date: April 17, 2025