LAHORE - Special Assistant to Chief Minister (SACM) on Information and Punjab government’s spokesman Hasaan Khawar Monday said that agriculture sector was the backbone of the national economy. In a statement issued here, he said that due to the criminal negligence of the previous governments, the agriculture sector remained in a state of disrepair. Unveiling revolutionary measures taken by the Punjab government in the field of agriculture, Hasaan Khawar said that for the first time in the history of Punjab, an agricultural policy was formulated under the leadership of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.

CM aide says agriculture sector backbone of national economy

He maintained that introduction of Kisan Card had enabled digital literacy in rural areas, facilitated direct cash transfer and timely purchase of fertilizers, seeds and other agricultural equipment at discounted rates. He said that more than one million registered farmers were receiving subsidies of billions of rupees annually through the transparent system. He further said that farmers were benefiting from projects worth Rs300 billion under the Prime Minister’s Agricultural Emergency Programme. “Buzdar government is providing insurance cover to farmers in 27 districts of Punjab to offset the effects of climate change, natural calamities and locust infestation on cotton, paddy and wheat crops,” he said. “Besides paying Rs2 billion as premium to the insurance companies, the Punjab government has provided interest free loans of over Rs64 billion to the farmers,” he added. “Moreover, the Punjab government is providing 50 per cent subsidy on the modern drip irrigation system and 60 per cent subsidy on solar systems. More than 1,200 laser land levelers have also been provided to the farmers on subsidy,” the SACM said. He added that 147 new varieties of different crops had been approved for cultivation under Punjab Seed Council. “The Agriculture Task Force confiscated counterfeit and substandard pesticides and fertilizers worth millions of rupees and tightened the noose around 20 factories involved in the trade of such substandard items,” he stated. “During the last three and a half years, more than 98,000 acres of barren land has been made cultivable,” he claimed. “For the first time in the history of the country, more than 2.9 million tonnes of wheat has been produced in the year 2020-21 while the average production of sugarcane has increased from 676 to 742 maunds per acre,” he averred.