Lahore: In a significant move to support the agricultural sector, Punjab’s Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani, alongside Secretary Agriculture Punjab, visited Faisalabad’s Center for Supply of Chief Minister Kissan Card. During the visit, they distributed Kissan Cards to local farmers, which will become operational from October 15, enabling timely purchase of agricultural inputs for the upcoming wheat sowing season.
According to Directorate General Public Relation – Govt of Punjab announcement issued on 11 September 2024, the Kissan Card initiative is designed to facilitate farmers owning 1 to 12.5 acres of land by providing them with interest-free loans ranging from 30 thousand to 150 thousand rupees. The cardholders can purchase seeds, fertilizers, and other essentials from over 2160 registered dealers across Punjab. The Provincial Agriculture Minister emphasized the transformative potential of the Kissan Card, noting that over 800,000 farmers have registered, with more than 280,000 already approved by the Bank of Punjab.
Secretary Agriculture, Punjab, Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, highlighted the logistical efforts to ensure wide accessibility to the Kissan Cards, including manual verification teams and messaging campaigns aimed at farmers in non-computerized areas. He remarked that the card would also serve as an official identity for farmers, streamlining their access to government subsidies and schemes. Additionally, 137 delivery centers have been set up at the tehsil level to facilitate the distribution of the Kissan Cards.
Further discussions during the visit touched on the monitoring of transactions made with the Kissan Cards and the upcoming distribution of 9,500 tractors under the Chief Minister Punjab Green Tractor Scheme, which involves a subsidy of 9.5 billion rupees. The visit also included a tour of the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute in Faisalabad, where the minister reviewed ongoing research and urged scientists to continue developing new crop varieties suitable for local conditions and climate change challenges.
The visit concluded with a call from the Agriculture Minister for innovative efforts in agricultural research to support the Chief Minister Punjab’s Green Initiative Program and ensure sustainable development in the sector.