Lahore: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz has approved Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card.
A special meeting for agricultural reforms was held under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Kisan Card and various measures for agriculture sector were approved in the meeting.
Through Kisan Card, 5 lakh small farmers will be given loans of Rs 150 billion in a year on easy terms. Farmers will be given an agricultural loan of Rs 30,000 per hectare for purchase of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.
Various types of subsidies will also be given under Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card. In collaboration with the private sector, model agriculture centers will be established which will have modern agricultural machinery, training, pesticide seeds, and demonstration plots will also be created.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed the Agriculture Department to compile complete data of production and demand of each crop. For research and development on cotton, wheat and rice crops in the meeting
While approving the creation of a state-of-the-art center of excellence, it was agreed to run its administrative affairs through a board and to link the research center with regional universities.
It was also decided to build a research and development center at the cost of 2 billion in Agriculture University Faisalabad with the cooperation of China. Pak China R&D Center will have genome center, germplasm resource, speed breeding and research facility on climate change. Amendments will be made to the Agriculture Pesticides Act and Fertilizers Control Act to prevent the sale of spurious agricultural drugs and fertilizers.