LAHORE: The Punjab government has proposed a sum of Rs 80 billion as the development budget for agriculture, aiming to implement a total of 37 schemes including 21 new and 16 ongoing projects.
The ongoing schemes will continue with an estimated allocation of Rs 32.40 billion while the new schemes are proposed to receive Rs 47.598 billion. According to the budget documents, the ongoing schemes include allocations for two each in agricultural education and agricultural research, three schemes related to water management, and one scheme each for the soil survey of Punjab, Pest Warning and Quality Control, and the Agriculture Transformation Plan. In addition, work will continue on six chief minister initiatives with an allocation of over Rs 16.984 billion.
Similarly, the 21 new schemes include four for agricultural extension, two for agricultural mechanization, five for agricultural research, one for crop reporting services, and five new schemes under chief minister initiatives.
The government has proposed an allocation of Rs 5.5 billion under the Chief Minister’s Punjab Green Tractor Program (Phase-II) for the next financial year. Under Phase-I of the same scheme during the current fiscal year, 9,366 farmers have been proposed to receive subsidized green tractors. Some of the important schemes to be implemented in the next financial year include the Chief Minister Punjab Hi-Tech Farm Mechanization Financing Programme, with an estimated cost of Rs 9 billion over the next four years. The government has proposed an allocation of Rs 1.5 billion for the next year for this purpose.
For water-efficient agriculture, which is a three-year programme, the government intends to spend Rs 8 billion, with an allocation of Rs 2 billion proposed for the year 2025-26 in the first phase. Under the Agricultural Farm Mechanization Project, another three-year programme with an estimated cost of Rs 7 billion, an allocation of Rs 0.7 billion has been proposed for the first year – 2025-26.
Recounting the steps taken by the incumbent government to support farmers and promote better farming practices for improved yields and a stronger rural economy, the documents state that the government established “Model Agriculture Malls” at a cost of Rs 1.1 billion in four agricultural hubs – Bahawalpur, Multan, Sahiwal, and Sargodha. These malls will provide farmers with a one-stop solution for their agricultural needs, including credit access, agricultural inputs at notified rates, mechanization and advisory services, quality control, and testing. Under the Chief Minister Punjab Kissan Card schemes, the government delivered 482,436 Kissan Cards to farmers, who then spent Rs 36.5 billion on purchasing agricultural inputs. Additionally, 1,050 farmers have been provided with various types of agricultural implements, including disc plows, chisel plows, rotavators, wheat reapers, etc. Under the Chief Minister’s Punjab High Power Tractor Programme, a proposed allocation of Rs 10 billion has been made for the year 2025-26.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
