Punjab has fixed a wheat cultivation target of 16.5 million acres for the current season, including 1.6 million acres in the Rawalpindi division, Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani said. He also said the government has set the proposed wheat support price at Rs4,500 per maund.
The minister spoke at a meeting at the commissioner’s office in Rawalpindi to review steps for promoting wheat cultivation and meeting seasonal targets. Field formations have been given special assignments so sowing covers more land than the prescribed figures, he said.
Support price, seed and fertiliser
Kirmani said wheat remains central to national food security and that recent government measures have made wheat cultivation a profitable venture for farmers. A subsidy of Rs320 million is being provided to encourage the use of certified seed. Seed supplied by the Punjab Seed Corporation is available at Rs7,000 per bag after a subsidy of Rs800 per bag.
Separately, an additional interest-free loan of Rs17 billion is being provided for the purchase of DAP fertiliser for five million acres. Through the Kissan Card, farmers are also being offered an extra interest-free loan of Rs3,500 per acre, which the minister said would benefit approximately one million growers.
Monitoring in Potohar and Rawalpindi
Secretary Agriculture Punjab Shakeel Ahmad Mian told the meeting that the Agriculture Transformation Plan is being implemented in the Potohar region. He said the campaign to expand wheat cultivation is being monitored regularly through field formations, and that practical backing from divisional and district administrations is essential if the targets are to be met.
Parliamentary Secretary for Zakat and Ushr Malik Iftikhar Ahmed, MPA Malik Aitbar Khan, the deputy commissioners of Rawalpindi division, relevant officers, farmers and other stakeholders attended the meeting.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab ne is mausam mein gehun ki kasht ka bada target rakha hai, jismein Rawalpindi division ke liye 16 lakh acre shamil hain. Sarkar ne proposed support price 4,500 rupay fi maund batayi hai. Certified beej aur DAP ke liye subsidy aur interest-free qarz ki sahulat di ja rahi hai. Kissan Card wale kisanon ko 3,500 rupay fi acre interest-free loan mil sakta hai.
