LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said a vast potential was available in agriculture, livestock and dairy farming sectors.
The Chief Minister expressed these views here while talking to a delegation of MNAs and MPAs on Saturday. The CM said sustainable development of these sectors would help strengthening the economy along with poverty alleviation and decrease in joblessness.
Shehbaz Sharif said keeping in view the key-importance of agriculture sector, solid steps had been taken for the promotion of agriculture, livestock and dairy farming sectors; and added that interest free loans worth Rs. 100 billion were being provided to small farmers for the first time in the history of the country.
Agriculture sector would grow as a result of provision of interest-free loans, while the small farmers would be prosperous, he added. The CM said the interest free loans programme had been expanded in a transparent manner by using latest technology and more than six lakh small farmers would be benefitted from this wonderful programme.
The landless farmers would also benefit from the historic interest free programme. The system of provision of loans to the farmers had been made simple by using digital system. He said agriculture sector could not progress without the prosperity of small farmers.
The programme of providing interest free loans to the small farmers was a milestone in the development of agriculture sector, he said.
He said the government of PML-N had always protected the rights of the farmers and added that I am personally supervising the progress on comprehensive step taken for the uplift of the farmers. He said the provision of subsidy on agricultural apparatus and fertilizers had left positive impacts on the agriculture sector; and per acre yield of the crops had been increased.
The Chief Minister said the Kisaan Package, worth billions of rupees, had harbingered “green revolution.” The farmers had been given their rights through this Kisaan Package. He said every step was being taken for the betterment of the farmers and development of agriculture sector. He said provision of payment to the farmers would be ensured during wheat procurement campaign.
The government would procure wheat from the farmers and best facilities would be provided to the farmers at wheat procurement centers. The gunny bags would be distributed in a transparent manner through digital system.
Every step had been taken for the development of agriculture and betterment of small farmers, and the welfare of farmers was part of our priorities, he further added.
The chief minister further said the programme worth billions of rupees for the construction, repairing and widening of rural roads was in progress with full speed. He said under the program thousands of kilometre long rural roads had been completed, adding that Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Road Programme would change the rural lifestyle.
