BAHAWALPUR: Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has inaugurated the wheat harvesting campaign by operating the thresher at Kazim Agri Farm in Sheikh Wahan Khairpur Tamewali area of Bahawalpur.
Addressing a big gathering of farmers, the chief minister said that with the grace of Almighty Allah and hard work of farmers a bumper wheat crop had been achieved this year as well. He said that the number of gunny bags had been increased from eight to ten per acre and small cultivators would be given preference in the distribution of gunny bags. He said that delivery charges per gunny bag had also been increased from Rs 7.5 to Rs 9.
Shehbaz said that in order to facilitate farmers, presence of representatives of cultivators at procurement centres had been made compulsory. He said that the support price of wheat had been fixed at Rs 1,300 per maund. He said that four million tonnes of wheat would be procured this year with a sum of Rs 130 billion and procurement process had been started at 377 centres.
The chief minister also announced increase in subsidy on Sastay tractors for small cultivators. He said that a subsidy of Rs 0.3 million instead of Rs 0.2 million on these tractors would be given to small farmers from the next financial year. He also announced subsidy for small cultivators on diesel tube-wells, and said this subsidy would be given on 8.5 lakh diesel operated tube-wells from next year’s budget.
Sharif said that a historic package of Rs 100 billion had been given for prosperity of farmers and development of the agriculture sector and every penny of this package would be made available to cultivators at their doorsteps. He said that wheat procurement process had been made highly transparent and rights of small cultivators would be safeguarded at any cost.
