Punjab Minister for Revenue and Relief Gul Hameed Khan Rokhari has said that the government has distributed Rs 6.73 billion among small farmers to buy agriculture inputs in the past three months through one-window operation to achieve the objectives of "Green Punjab".
He told a delegation of progressive farmers in his office here on Wednesday that his provincial government was focusing on redressing small farmers' issues to bring about a green revolution by increasing the agriculture production.
He said his government had taken steps to strengthen the agriculture sector and introduced reforms. He said that his government had also laid down a network of farms to market roads in the Punjab, connecting even small villages with markets to enable the farmers to carry their agri products to the market.
He said his government had taken various steps to save the farmers' community from revenue officials and introduced flat water rates and given a 50 percent concession on the water rates of tail ender farmers. "The Agriculture income tax has been introduced on 12.5 acres of land instead of 5 acres. By introducing the tax on 12.5 acres of land, 98 percent of small agriculturists have been exempted from the tax which is a big relief for the community," he said.
He said that his government was carrying on with land records computerisation and coordinating with the Zarai Tarraqiati Bank of Pakistan to disburse a Rs 6,731.40 million loan to the small farmers.