KARACHI: The Sindh government has launched online registration for the Benazir Hari Card, aimed at supporting farmers with subsidies, crop insurance and financial aid.
This was announced at an agricultural fair in Mirpur Mathelo, where Sindh Minister of Agriculture Sardar Muhammad Baksh Mahar also inaugurated a new agricultural research institute and announced plans to establish an agricultural university in Ghotki.
Sindh Minister of Agriculture Sardar Muhammad Baksh Mahar inaugurated the online registration for the Benazir Hari Card, and a one-day agricultural fair, and the new agricultural research institute in Mirpur Mathelo on Tuesday and stated that the agriculture department of the province has developed a new modern website and app for the registration of farmers in Sindh.
Now, over 1.5 million farmers can register online for the Benazir Hari Card themselves. Farmers will no longer need to visit the offices of the agriculture department or revenue officials; they can register with their documents on the website (www.benazirharicard.gos.pk).
The provincial minister, while announcing the establishment of an agricultural university campus in Ghotki, said that the Sindh government will also establish an agricultural university in Ghotki district. And that, once the university is established, people from other provinces will also come here to study.
Mahar further stated that through the Benazir Hari Card, farmers will receive subsidies on seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and modern agricultural machinery. Through the Hari Card, farmers in Sindh will be provided with crop insurance, interest-free loans and various financial aids in case of agricultural disasters. At the moment, the agricultural sector is facing challenges such as climate change, rising costs and limited access to resources.
The minister said that the Sindh government has already provided Rs19 billion in aid to approximately 400,000 farmers affected by the 2022 floods. After the registration for the Hari Card, all facilities will be provided to farmers through the Hari Card. New varieties of cotton and sugarcane will be developed at the Border Research Center in Ghotki, and production technology will be introduced. This technology will help the agricultural sector cope with climate change. “If farmers are not prosperous, the country cannot be prosperous”, he minister added.
Calling the Benazir Hari Card a gift from PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto to farmers, Mahar said that through the card farmers will receive subsidies on seeds, medicines and machinery. He added that women play a crucial role in the agricultural sector and the Sindh government is running training and capacity-building programmes for women.
Also present at the ceremony were Sindh’s Secretary of Agriculture Sohail Ahmed Qureshi, Vice-Chancellor of Agriculture University, Tando Jam, Altaf Ali Sial, DS Idris Khoso, DG Research Mazhar Keerio, DG Munir Ahmed Jamani, DG Engineering Nadeem Shah, PD Liaquat Bhutto, DG Marketing and others.At the one-day agricultural fair held in Mirpur Mathelo, over 30 agricultural stalls were set up.