Special Programme on Food Security and Productivity Enhancement for small farmers has been expanded in 1,012 villages costing Rs 100 million in Punjab. Official sources on Friday told Business Recorder here that federal, provincial and district government in Punjab would jointly carry out the programme.
In Sialkot district, the programme would be carried out in 72 villages and each village would be provided funds amounting to Rs 19.5 million for the implementation of the programme. The initial work on the project has been initiated in Sialkot district.
The objectives of the project are to supplement the country's ongoing efforts to increase food product through crop productivity, ensure food security and alleviate poverty in rural areas through improving income of small farmers and build a mechanism for sustaining productivity enhancement and food security programme.
Under the programme special attention would be focused on increasing productivity for improving food security and meet rapidly growing food demands as well as to reduce seasonal and year to year variability in production on economically and environmentally sustainable basis.
The main crops like wheat and rice will be covered while small crops like pulses, oilseeds, maize and fodder were also included in the project for providing assistance to the farmers, sources added. The completion of this project would be supportive in bringing boom in per acre yield of crops and help reduce poverty scale in these districts of the country.