Revamping agricultural sector: Kissan Package funds to be spent on farmers, says DCO

Kissan Conventions held in various districts to inform farmers of benefits available under the package

DERA GHAZI KHAN/ BAHAWALPUR: Kissan Conventions were organised by the Agriculture Department in various districts in the province on Wednesday to inform farmers about details of the Kissan Package announced by the provincial government earlier this year.

Addressing the convention in Dera Ghazi Khan, DCO Nadeem ur Rehman said peasants and small-area farmers would have access to interest-free loans and free smart phones as part of the Kissan Package. The price of urea will be reduced from Rs1,800 per bag to Rs1,400 per bag and the price of a bag of DAP will be slashed from Rs2,800 to Rs2,500.

Subsidised solar panels and drip irrigation systems would also be available. General sales tax will be waived on electric tube wells which would help decrease the cost of production.

The DCO said that the provincial government was trying to convince the federal government to lower the price of electricity from the current Rs8.85 to Rs5.35 rupees per unit for farmers.

“Agriculture is the backbone of our economy. Agricultural land, especially in south Punjab, generates considerable revenue.”

Rehman said the Kissan Package would be spent on the welfare of farmers. “We will not let farmers be exploited. A strict monitoring system will be put in place to ensure that the benefits of Kissan Package trickle down.”

MPA Syed Abdul Aleem Shah urged Agriculture Department’s field staff to be vigilant and proactive.

MPA Sardar Mehmood Khan Leghari thanked the farmers at the convention for presenting their suggestions on how to improve the package and assured them that the proposals would be sent to the chief minister.

The lawmaker urged farmers to opt for modern methods of irrigating crops. “Tunnel farming and drip irrigation are two methods farmers should use…watercourses should also be paved to reduce waste.”

He said that the role of the middleman would be abolished entirely. A task force will regulate the prices of agrochemicals, he said.

Agriculture EDO Abdul Ghafoor Ghafari shared details of the package with farmers. He said that the department would take steps to introduce new seeds, set up service centres for modern agricultural implements and upgrade warehouses. He said the new service centres would also create more jobs.

Separately, at the Kissan Convention in Bahawalpur, Ayesha Abdullah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said that the provincial government was completing 10 mega schemes at a cost of Rs72.2 billion to modernise the irrigation network. “The idea is to ensure adequate supply of water to boost farm productivity in the Bahawalpur zone.”

Abdullah said that the chief minister wanted to streamline the irrigation network to ensure an abundant supply of water for irrigation.

“This can help us build a food security regimen for the country,” she said.

In Rahim Yar Khan, DCO Captain (r) Muhammad Zafar Iqbal chaired the convention. He said implementation of the programmes announced under the package had begun from July 1. The government has announced subsidised rates for pesticides and agricultural implements.

This will benefit more than 5.2 million families, he said.

The DCO said the district administration has started a campaign against the manufacture and sale of fake and substandard pesticides and fertilisers. “Farmers must help us eliminate this mafia.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2016.