The Punjab government has set a wheat cultivation target of 16.5 million acres for the upcoming season and fixed the support price at Rs. 4,500 per maund to protect farmers’ interests and strengthen national food security.
Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani announced the measures while chairing a review meeting at the Commissioner’s Office on Wednesday.
He said the government had allocated Rs. 150 billion under the Kissan Card program to help farmers purchase agricultural inputs, while Rs. 425 billion in interest free loans had been disbursed over the past two and a half years.
Punjab Expands Financial Support for Farmers
Kirmani said the government had also distributed 45,000 tractors at subsidized rates under the Green Tractor Scheme. In addition, the Punjab Seed Corporation had provided a subsidy of Rs. 450 million on certified wheat seeds to encourage farmers to use quality inputs.
Reviewing cultivation targets across different divisions, Secretary Agriculture Punjab Shakeel Ahmad Mian said Lahore Division had been assigned a wheat cultivation target of 1.35 million acres for the upcoming season, representing an increase of 50,000 acres from the previous year.
Government Warns Against Seed Price Violations
The agriculture minister directed field officers to ensure that approved 50 kilogram bags of wheat seed were sold at the fixed price of Rs. 7,000. He also ordered strict action against hoarding, profiteering, black marketing, and theft of canal water.
The measures are part of the provincial government’s efforts to increase wheat cultivation, support agricultural productivity, and protect farmers during the upcoming growing season.
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