Green Tractor Scheme Launched to Support Wheat Farmers
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has introduced a new program to support wheat farmers by offering free tractors and land levelers.
This initiative, part of a large prize package worth billions, aims to boost agricultural productivity in Punjab.
Farmers with 12.5 to 25 hectares of wheat land will be eligible for 1,000 land levellers, while those with over 25 acres will receive 1,000 green tractors. The equipment will be distributed through a lottery system to ensure fairness.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz assured farmers they would not be left behind, calling them “our brothers” and pledging the government’s full support to improve their lives and the agricultural sector. “We will fully support our farmers in Punjab,” she said, emphasizing their importance.
Under the Kisan Card program, farmers will also receive interest-free quality seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to aid wheat production. This initiative was launched on October 28 in Hafizabad, aiming to directly benefit farmers by avoiding middlemen.
Maryam stated that her government’s priority is farmer welfare, a vision initially proposed by former PM Nawaz Sharif, who couldn’t attend the launch due to international obligations. The scheme addresses farmers’ concerns, especially with the rising wheat prices.
In addition to the equipment scheme, the government has introduced a “Green Tractor Scheme,” which has already drawn 1.5 million applications. This scheme offers subsidies of up to Rs. 1 million on tractors valued around Rs. 4 million.
The government has also allocated Rs. 10-15 billion to create machinery hubs in each tehsil, allowing farmers to access equipment at reduced rates. Furthermore, plans are in place to switch 7,000 tube wells from diesel and petrol to solar power to reduce energy costs for farmers.
Reference Link:- https://propakistani.pk/2024/11/08/green-tractor-scheme-launched-to-support-wheat-farmers/
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
