LAHORE: The Punjab Agriculture Department announced that farmers will receive agricultural machinery and equipment worth billions of rupees at a 60% subsidy under the chief minister’s mechanized farming program. Individual farmers can avail subsidies of up to PKR 500,000.

To ensure transparency, district-level balloting is being conducted in the presence of elected representatives based on allocated quotas for each district. Today, a balloting ceremony was held in Multan to select farmers for

subsidized agricultural machinery.

Out of 305 applications received from farmers at nine centers in Multan district, 238 qualified for the subsidy. Through a transparent lottery process, 27 farmers were selected to receive the subsidized machinery.

Former member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA), Rana Ejaz Ahmed Noon, attended the Multan event as the chief guest. He stated, “the Transforming Punjab Agriculture Plan, launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, is a revolutionary initiative to enhance crop productivity through mechanized farming. This subsidy program demonstrates the Punjab government’s commitment to supporting farmers.”

Noon emphasized that mechanized farming will significantly improve agricultural efficiency by enabling farmers to perform tasks like land preparation and harvesting more effectively and timely.

Director of Agricultural Engineering, Haris Abdullah, informed that successful applicants can choose their preferred agricultural implements or machinery.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024