Punjab's wheat sowing target now stands at 16.5 million acres for the season ahead, Provincial Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani said in Multan on Wednesday. He told officials that reaching that planted area is central to the country's food security.
The remarks came as he led a session on planting progress and whether seeds, fertiliser and other inputs are reaching the field. He said the chief minister had cleared Rs450 million in support so cultivators can purchase certified seed supplied through the Punjab Seed Corporation. Separately, Rs150 billion has been set aside through the Kissan Card for farmers buying inputs.
Money, seed and machinery for growers
Kirmani said interest-free lending on the Kissan Card had already totalled Rs425 billion across roughly two and a half years. Under the Green Tractors Programme, he added, 45,000 machines have reached farmers with state support so far.
He described a proposed grain price of Rs4,500 for each maund as a strong deal for cultivators and said the administration was acting to lift yields while easing growers' costs. Bags of seed cleared by the Punjab Seed Corporation, he ordered, must retail at Rs7,000. Continuous checks on dealers were demanded so that quality seed arrives on time and nobody is overcharged.
Stockpiling, price gouging and illegal trade, he warned, would draw a hard response, and staff would answer for any markup beyond the fixed rate.
Field orders, water and fertiliser stocks
On irrigation and hire charges, the minister insisted there be no leniency toward theft from canals and that complaints about inflated rates for farm equipment be settled promptly. He urged wider use of line sowing and newer machines to raise output per acre. All public farmland covered by the chief minister's Apna Khet Apna Rozgar scheme, he directed, should go under wheat, while extension teams stay active advising growers.
Agriculture Secretary Shakeel Ahmad Mian said urea, DAP and NP reserves are in a comfortable position. He added that setting fire to leftover stalks or taking canal water illegally would bring registered cases and fines. Provincial Assembly members Ghazali Saleem Butt and Malik Shahbaz Ali attended, as did Directors General of Agriculture Naveed Asmat Kahloon, Muhammad Shahbaz Akhtar and Dr Amir Rasool.
Meeting Punjab's wheat sowing target at this scale would shape how much grain the province can harvest later in the cycle. Officials framed the seed subsidy, card credit and tractor support as tools to help farmers plant on time and protect yields.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab ne is mausam gandum 16.5 million acre raqbe par bonay ka hadaf rakha hai. Certified beej ke liye Rs450 million ki madad di ja rahi hai aur bag Rs7,000 par bikna chahiye. Kissan Card se inputs kharidne ke liye Rs150 billion rakhe gaye hain. Agar aap kashtkar hain to beej, paani aur khas ke rate par nazar rakhain, kyunkih sarkar mehngai aur chori par sakhti ka kehna hai.
