A five year programme under Agriculture Emergency a national programme for enhancing profitability through increasing productivity of rice has been lunched in 15 (fifteen )rice growing districts of the Punjab costing Rs6.63 billion.

Sources in Agriculture department told Business Recorder on Thursday that under the programme special attention would be focused on promoting mechanized farming in these districts. Under national agriculture emergency efforts would be made for timely sowing of identified ecological best verities through the promotion of direct seedling of rice drill in these districts.

The mechanized transplanting of rice nurseries will replace the outdated manual transplanting. The project was being carried out in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Okara, Hafizabad, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnager, Jhang, Narowal, Kasur, Mandi B.Din, Chiniot, Gujrat, Lahore, and Faisalabad districts where area under rice both Basmati and course verities would be brought under cultivation on 70,000 acres of land in these areas. Under the programme government will provide riding type rice transplanter, walk-after typerice transplanter, nursery raising machine, Direct Seedling drill, rice straw chopper, water tight rotavator and knapsack power sprayer.

The government will also provide subsidy to the rice grower for the purchase of tested paddy seeds and pesticides. The government will also provide subsidy amounting Rs1500 per acres to the growers for encouraging combined harvesting. The concept of the programme was to promote mechanized cultivation aimed at enhancing per acre yield, In this regard government will provide agricultural machinery to the growers on reduce rates for encouraging mechanized agriculture and ensure economic benefits of the growers.