Special package introduced to boost wheat cultivation

LAHORE : Secretary Agriculture Iftikhar Ali Sahoo in a meeting on wheat cultivation has said Punjab CM has introduced a special package to promote wheat cultivation.

As part of this package, 1,000 tractors and 1,000 laser land levelers will be provided free of charge through a lottery system. All available resources will be mobilised to achieve the wheat cultivation targets, with robust support from the divisional and district administrations. At the divisional level, the commissioner will lead the campaign, while the deputy commissioners will oversee it at the district level, the secretary said.

He stated that a target of cultivating 1.82 million acres of wheat has been set for the Multan Division, with 0.937 million acres already cultivated.

To expedite efforts toward meeting this target, further instructions have been issued, with technical human resources deployed for field activities. Interns and agricultural university students have been assigned to support the wheat campaign. Failure to meet targets will not be tolerated, he emphasised.

The secretary assured that phosphorus and urea fertilisers are available in ample supply in the market, and for the first time, they are being offered at controlled prices.

Farmers with high yields will be awarded attractive cash prizes. From November 20, farmers will have the option to withdraw 30pc of their cash benefits via the Kissan Card. Responding to the rising demand, the number of Kissan Cards has been increased from 0.5 million to 0.75 million, he said.

The secretary added that wheat seeds are available at a lower price this year approximately Rs2,000 less per bag compared to last year. He directed that collaboration with the Irrigation Department be strengthened to ensure an adequate water supply and that wheat planting on government lands is completed to 100pc.