ISLAMABAD: Ministry of National Food Security and Research has paid Rs 8.264 billion to phosphate fertilizer manufacturers and commercial importers for around 28 subsidy claims of October and November, 2015.
The Ministry, which was given a task of distribution of subsidy of Rs 20 billion on phosphate fertilizers under Farmers’ package has paid such claims after following the procedure mentioned in notification.
Official sources on Sunday said the Prime Minister announced a Rs 348 billion Farmers’ package on September 15, 2015 for farmers with direct cash assistance to rice and cotton growers, subsidy on fertilizers and electricity and tax relief on import of agriculture machinery. The package provides a direct benefit of Rs 147 billion to small farmers across the country.
The sources said Punjab government launched a cash support of Rs 5000 per acre of cotton and rice growers up to 12.5 acres in 33 districts of the Province and established around 166 Disbursement Centres with facility of one window operation.
The scheme is to disburse Rs 32 billion among 1.6 million farmers of the province and so far an amount of Rs 23.45 billion has been disbursed. The sources said Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited disbursed an amount of Rs 38.75 billion against allocated target of Rs 102 billion for 2015-16. This includes Rs 28.94 billion in Punjab, Rs 7.255 billion in Sindh, Rs 2.1 billion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rs 0.134 billion in Balochistan, Rs 0.169 billion in Gilgit-Baltistan and Rs 0.147 billion in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
