Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif launches phase III of the Green Tractor Scheme to help small farmers beat soaring machinery costs and boost crop productivity.
LAHORE: In a bid to modernize farming across Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif has formally launched Phase III of the Chief Minister’s Green Tractor Scheme, announcing the distribution of 10,000 new tractors to small and medium-scale farmers in 2026.
The new phase was inaugurated through a computerized balloting system, aimed at ensuring transparency and fair access. More than 427,000 farmers owning up to five acres of land applied for the latest round, highlighting the overwhelming demand for mechanized tools amid rising input costs.
Punjab currently has around 140 tractors per 10,000 acres, a figure significantly lower than international benchmarks. Officials say the scheme is designed to close this gap by making machinery affordable at a time when tractor prices have more than doubled over the past five years.
Under Phase III, farmers will receive 50 to 65 horsepower tractors, tailored for small landholdings. The goal is to reduce dependence on manual labor, shorten cultivation cycles, and improve overall crop yields — a combination that directly strengthens rural incomes.
Speaking at the launch ceremony in Lahore, the chief minister personally congratulated several successful applicants, symbolically calling selected farmers to share the news of their selection. She described the initiative as a “turning point for Punjab’s agricultural future,” stressing that farmer welfare remains central to her government’s economic agenda.
Provincial Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani noted that without state support, modern tractors have become unaffordable for most small growers. He said the scheme is not merely a subsidy program but a strategy to lift productivity across the entire food supply chain.
Over the past two years, the Punjab government has already facilitated the distribution of 21,000 tractors — more than were provided in the previous 25 years combined. With the addition of the current phase, the total under the Green Tractor initiative is set to exceed 31,000 units, making it one of the largest farm mechanization drives in the province’s history.
The program also complements upcoming rural development plans, including land distribution and employment schemes expected to begin in 2026. Together, these initiatives aim to stabilize farm incomes, improve food security, and stimulate growth in Punjab’s vast agricultural economy. As tractors begin reaching villages across Punjab, policymakers hope the machines will do more than plow fields — they are expected to reshape how farming is practiced, making it faster, more efficient, and more resilient to economic pressure.
