Punjab’s first female Chief Minister, Maryam Nawaz, has given the green light to the ‘Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card’ initiative aimed at supporting farmers across the province.
Chairing a meeting focused on agricultural reforms, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz endorsed the ‘Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card’, designed to offer various subsidies to farmers. Under this program, a total of 500,000 small-scale farmers in Punjab can access loans amounting to Rs 150 billion within a year, with each farmer eligible for a loan of Rs 30,000 per acre of agricultural land.
During the session, CM Maryam Nawaz highlighted plans to establish model agriculture centers in every district in collaboration with the private sector. These centers aim to combat the use of counterfeit fertilizers and medicines, benefitting farmers.
Furthermore, the Agriculture Department received directives to compile comprehensive data on crop production and demand. The meeting also endorsed the establishment of a state-of-the-art center of excellence for research and development focusing on cotton, wheat, and rice crops.
Participants agreed to streamline administrative affairs through a board and integrate the research center with regional universities. Additionally, plans were made to construct a research development center costing Rs 2 billion at Agricultural University Faisalabad, in collaboration with China.
Other decisions included modernizing the Agricultural Extension Wing, recruiting 500 agricultural graduates, reviewing the restructuring of the Punjab Seed Corporation and the Punjab Agricultural Research Board, and proposing legislation to prevent agricultural land from being used for residential purposes.
