Maryam Nawaz unveils ten-point package for Punjab farmers
Zero-markup loans up to Rs10 million, a dedicated Apna Kisan Bank and assured wheat procurement at Rs4,500 head the announcements made to farmer representatives.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced a ten-point package for the province's farmers, including zero-markup loans of up to Rs10 million, a dedicated farmers' bank and an assurance that wheat will be bought at the Rs4,500 support price.
The announcements were made at a meeting with representatives of small, medium and large farmers from across Punjab, according to a statement from the chief minister's spokesperson cited by Express News. The chief minister assured the farmers that their proposals and recommendations would be implemented in stages, the statement said.
Under the package, Punjab will establish its first "Apna Kisan Bank". Loans of up to Rs10 million will carry no markup, while Rs30 million loans will be charged 2 per cent interest and Rs50 million loans 5 per cent, the chief minister said.
She said procurement of wheat at the Rs4,500 support price would be ensured. The per-acre limit on the Kisan Card will be raised by Rs3,500, from Rs30,000 to Rs33,500 per acre.
The chief minister said the campaign against water theft would continue across Punjab and announced steps to clean silt from the province's canals. She also announced a special package for olive cultivation.
She asked the farmers to help end smog by not burning crop residue.
The meeting ended with the chief minister cutting a birthday cake with the farmers, who congratulated her. The farmers described the Kisan Card as the backbone of agricultural development and called the provincial government's farm measures a game changer, according to the statement.
Express News reported that the farmers present thanked the chief minister strongly for the issuing of the Kisan Card. The chief minister's office did not give a date for the start of the loan scheme, the bank's establishment or the revised Kisan Card limit.
The announcements come as Punjab's government pushes farm support ahead of the wheat sowing season, with the subsidy bill for cheap credit and procurement yet to be spelled out.
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