LAHORE: Exceeding the wheat sowing target of 1.491 million acres set for the Rawalpindi Division, farmers have sown grain over 1.53 million acres so far. This was disclosed during a review meeting held with Minister for Agriculture Punjab, Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani, in the chair.
According to a spokesman, the review meeting was held at the Commissioner’s Office, Rawalpindi. The meeting was attended by MPA Malik Iftikhar Ahmed, Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Engineer Amir Khattak, Directors General of Agriculture Abdul Hameed, Naveed Asmat Kahlon, Dr. Abdul Qayyum, and Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema. Additionally, MPA Bilal Yameen Satti and Deputy Commissioners from Murree, Attock, Chakwal, and Jhelum participated online.
Addressing the participants, Kirmani stated that Punjab has set a target of cultivating wheat on 16.5 million acres. To encourage farmers, the Chief Minister of Punjab has announced a special incentive package worth billions of rupees. Under this package, 1,000 tractors and 1,000 laser land levellers will be provided free of charge through a transparent balloting process.
The Minister highlighted that the Rawalpindi Division was assigned a wheat cultivation target of 1491000 acres, while cultivation has already exceeded this target, covering over 1530000 acres. He praised the efforts of the division, noting the achievement of exceeding the target.
Minister Kirmani further shared that more than PKR 24 billion have been made through the Kissan Card, while 92 per cent of it is the purchase of fertilizer, especially DAP, which will contribute significantly to enhancing wheat production. Additionally, the Chief Minister of Punjab has increased the number of Kisan Cards from 500,000 to 750,000.
He acknowledged the active collaboration of the divisional and district administrations with the Punjab Agriculture Department in the wheat cultivation drive.
Moreover, students from agricultural universities participated in the wheat cultivation campaign for two weeks, providing farmers with guidance on best practices. Under the Chief Minister Punjab Internship Program, agricultural graduates are actively engaged in field activities across the province.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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