Manufacturers back: Punjab’s Green Tractor scheme to boost farm output

LAHORE: Manufacturers have termed the Punjab Chief Minister’s Green Tractor Scheme essential for enhancing agricultural productivity.

Senior management from the tractor manufacturing industry expressed their views during a meeting held at the Agriculture House, Lahore, on Saturday. The session was chaired by Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo.

While addressing the participants, Sahoo said that all possible resources are being utilised to implement farm mechanisation across the province, highlighting the critical role tractors play in this transformation. On the occasion, representatives of the tractor industry appreciated the Green Tractor Programme, noting that the industry had faced a prolonged crisis in recent years. Prior to the scheme’s launch, economic pressures had significantly reduced their operational capacity. The initiative, they said, has played a vital role in easing this crisis.

They added that the scheme is expected to substantially increase agricultural productivity while also supporting the local tractor manufacturing industry. Emphasising the importance of agricultural mechanisation in line with modern-day requirements, they described the programme as indispensable for the future of farming in Punjab.

The representatives called for the development of a long-term strategy to promote mechanisation and reaffirmed their commitment to playing a key role in this effort. Proposals for the expansion and continuation of the Green Tractor Programme were also presented to the Punjab government during the meeting.

Sahoo urged the private sector to collaborate with the agriculture department in promoting farm mechanisation throughout the province. He said the Green Tractor Programme would prove to be a milestone in the advancement of mechanised agriculture in Punjab.

He also emphasised that the industry should take concrete steps to manufacture modern harvesters, transplanters and high-tech agricultural machinery in partnership with international collaborators. The Punjab government, he added, would provide all necessary support in this regard.