Punjab govt to promote cooperative farming in three districts

Plan will be carried out in Sialkot, Sargodha and RY Khan districts

SIALKOT: A two-year 'crop maximisation through cooperative farming project' would soon be launched in three districts of Punjab. Around Rs400 million will be spent on the project, according to the agriculture department.

Sources in the agriculture department told APP on Sunday that the plan would be carried out in Sialkot, Sargodha and Rahim Yar Khan districts of the province. The aim of the plan was to increase productivity and profitability of small farmers in project districts through participatory approach of learning by doing, food security and alleviating poverty through improving income of small farmers.

Under the programme, special attention would be paid on increasing productivity of major crops like wheat, rice, cotton sugarcane and maize from 10 to 15 per cent per acre and reduce their cost of production as well as to ensure the availability of food round year on affordable price. Around 80 per cent farmers were small holding land from 0.5 to 10 acres in the province and over the years, attempts had been made to improve the condition of small farmers but capital intensive modern technologies and improved means of enhancing farm productivity remained out financial range of small farmers, sharecropper and tenants.

Unfortunately, majority of farmers had limited access to the institutional credit facility and they could not use or adopt the improved technologies or purchase critical inputs as certified seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and water.

Under the programme, special focus would be paid to formulation and registration of 137 village organisations (VOs), establishment and operation of revolving fund to the tune of Rs297.080 million in the VOs, setting up of operation of 14 implement pools, establishment of 137 farmers field schools for farmers capacity building, setting up of 14 income diversification intervention and establishment of 14 input sale centers in project districts sources disclosed.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2020.