Punjab government has initiated "Green Tractor Scheme" costing Rs 2 billion for providing as many as 10,000 tractors on subsidised rates to the deserving and small farmers through a transparent process in the province.
Official sources told Business Recorder here on Sunday that under the scheme as many as 204 tractors would be provided to the small farmers on the basis of subsidy in Sialkot, Daska, Pasrur and Sambrial tehsils of Sialkot district and more than 4793 applications of farmers were received by the district administration from the district for the purpose.
The tehsil-wise break up of allocation of tractors is as 58 Sialkot, Pasrur 69, Daska 49 and Sambrial 28. The allotment of tractors will be made at district headquarter in open assembly through tehsil-wise balloting preferably by computerised draw and it is expected that the draw would be held on October 23rd and allotment letters would be issued to successful applicants of the district. The government will provide subsidy of Rs 2 lakh for each tractor enabling the small farmers initiate modern farming in their respective areas.
Under the scheme it has been made mandatory that an applicant must not have more than five acres of land in the respective tehsil and could not have more than 25 acres in canal irrigated areas or 50 acres in barani areas of the Punjab.
The concept of launching the green tractor scheme was to increase the agricultural yield aimed at attaining food autarky, sources added. Besides, the government was making strenuous efforts for tracking the agriculture sector on modern and scientific lines for attaining maximum out of the crops in the Punjab, sources said.