Staff Reporter
LAHORE: To continue 20 ongoing developmental schemes and launch eight new ones, including the Green Tractor and Kissan Card initiatives, the Punjab government has proposed allocating over Rs64.6 billion to the agricultural sector for the fiscal year 2024-25.
According to the budget document, Rs19.25 billion has been earmarked for ongoing schemes, while Rs45.35 billion is allocated for new initiatives.
A major part — Rs30 billion—of the total allocation has been proposed for the Chief Minister’s Green Tractor scheme, aimed at promoting mechanization in agriculture to enhance per-acre yields and mitigate losses. This initiative offers growers the opportunity to acquire tractors through easy installment plans without interest. Additionally, Rs200 million is separately allocated to promote e-mechanization via indigenous manufacturing of agricultural machinery.
For Kissan Card, the government has allocated Rs10 billion for the fiscal year 2024-25 to provide loans, particularly to small-scale growers, enabling them to procure inputs for their crops and protecting them from exploitation by middlemen.
To solarize 7000 agricultural tube-wells, Rs9 billion has been proposed under the Chief Minister’s program, that will result in significant diesel and electricity savings.
Besides, the government has allocated Rs1 billion to launch an internship program for agricultural students in the province.
In a bid to promote research, Rs204.751 million has been earmarked for various schemes in the upcoming fiscal year. These include initiatives such as enhancing mash and lentil production through early generation seed production to reduce lentil imports, upscaling the Date Palm Research Sub-Station in Jhang, promoting papaya varietal improvement, managing Papaya Leaf Curl Virus, cotton research in Southern Punjab by establishing a research sub-station in Rajanpur, and blackberry and groundnut research in the Barani region of Punjab.
A sum of Rs100 million has been proposed for the revival of the citrus sector in Punjab under new schemes.
