Govt spent Rs4.979bln under NAEP

ISLAMABAD: Government spent Rs4.979 billion under Prime Minister’s National Agriculture Emergency Program (NAEP) during fiscal year 2020-21 to uplift the local agriculture sector, increase per-acre crop output, and enhance farm income, an official said.

The amount was allocated in Federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2020-21 under the federal component. The government intended to spend over Rs81.774 billion under the aforesaid programme, which aimed at turning around the local agriculture sector by achieving maximum per-acre crop output of all major crops, water conservation and livestock and fisheries development, said an official in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

Talking to APP, he said that during the last fiscal year, the government had spent Rs29.560 million for the cage culture cluster development project and Rs129.090 million for calf feedlot fattening in order to enhance meat and fish production to meet local requirements as well as for exporting.

Meanwhile, an amount of Rs193.970 million was also provided for the national oilseed enhancement programme for promoting the cultivation of oil-seeds, he said, adding that the initiative in the medium- and long-term would help reduce reliance on imported edible oil, which consumed billions of dollars annually, putting pressure on foreign exchange reserves.