CM’s Livestock Card to ensure farmers’ prosperity: Kirmani

LAHORE:Provincial Minister for Livestock and Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani presided over a meeting in the Punjab Assembly in which the progress on the Livestock Card of the chief minister was reviewed.

Director General Livestock Extension Dr Muhammad Ashraf gave a detailed briefing on the current status of the Livestock Card. Provincial Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani while addressing the meeting said that the chief minister has allocated funds of Rs20 billion for the development of livestock sector for the first time in history. A new era of development and prosperity of farmers will begin. He directed to ensure the timeline of the Livestock Card in every way.

The minister said that in this regard the publicity campaign through print, electronic and social media should be ensured in an effective manner. He said that with Rs4.5 billion Chief Minister Livestock Card cattle farmers will be able to easily buy mineral mixture. For Livestock Card, the credit limit will be from Rs135,000 to Rs270,000. The condition of 5 to 10 animals is mandatory. The minister was told in the briefing that a list of 1,200 merchants was provided to the Bank of Punjab; 10,848 potential farmers have been identified from nine divisions of Punjab.

The minister maintained that the objective of providing a cashless digital framework facility to purchase fodder, silage and mineral mixture was to use the animals for increasing meat production. Additional Secretary Livestock Dr Usman Tahir and other officers also participated in the meeting.