The measures taken to facilitate farmers, including Kissan Card, need to be enhanced further in order to protect the small growers, said Federal Minister of National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam.
Chairing the 20th meeting of the National Coordination Committee of the Agriculture Transformation Plan on Wednesday, he said that the purpose of the body was to ensure that the Agriculture Transformation Plan was on track. “The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has placed special emphasis on the upgradation of the agriculture sector,” he said.
Citing that the agriculture sector generated almost 19% of the country’s GDP, he added that it could become the backbone of the country’s economy through value addition.
Pakistan’s collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences could act as a game changer for the country, he said.
“We need to exchange expertise on mechanisation and development of new varieties,” the minister said. “China is a global leader in agriculture mechanisation and Pakistan can catapult its agriculture sector by learning from its knowledge and experience.”
During the meeting, Imam was informed that farmers across the country had been provided Rs5.6 billion worth of subsidy through Kissan Cards for the purchase of different agriculture inputs.
The representatives of the government of Punjab informed him that total around 780,000 Kissan Cards have been issued to the registered farmers. He was told that 1 million farmers would be registered through Kissan Card scheme by June, 2022.
About 124,000 cards have been issued for the farmers of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and a subsidy worth Rs575 million has been approved.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2022.
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