Under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab government has set a new record for agricultural development projects aimed at supporting farmers.
Notable initiatives include the introduction of the Kisan Card, the Green Tractors Program, and the distribution of super seeders. Additionally, Pakistan’s largest-ever Agricultural Graduate Internship Program was launched, with agriculture graduates across Punjab providing field guidance to farmers. Young agricultural graduates will also receive a monthly scholarship of 60,000 PKR.
The Kisan Card program has facilitated agricultural input purchases worth over 30 billion PKR. For the first time in Punjab, the availability of fertilizers, including DAP, at fixed rates has been ensured. The province achieved 99% of its wheat cultivation target, marking a significant milestone in agricultural productivity.
Under the Green Tractors Program, 5,000 tractors were procured, with 2,500 already distributed to farmers. A subsidy of up to 1 million PKR per tractor is being provided. The government has also approved the establishment of model agricultural markets in every district. These markets, nearing completion in Multan, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, and Sahiwal, will offer training for farmers, banking services, modern agricultural machinery, pesticides, seeds, and fertilizers.
In line with Chief Minister Nawaz’s directives, a crackdown against counterfeit and adulterated agricultural inputs is underway under a zero-tolerance policy. Draft amendments to the Agricultural Pesticides Act and the Fertilizer Control Act have also been prepared for approval.
Further initiatives include a 9-billion-PKR project to convert 8,000 electric-powered agricultural tube wells to solar energy, and a 1.5-billion-PKR plan for the restoration of date palm orchards. The government has also decided to establish a Punjab Kisan Bank to facilitate easy loans for farmers.
A 2.4-billion-PKR initiative will promote the cultivation of canola, sesame, and soybeans, while the Agricultural Mechanization Policy, in collaboration with China, will focus on the assembly and manufacturing of agricultural machinery in Punjab. Additionally, the Chief Minister has given approval for the launch of an agricultural machinery rental service across the province.
