Latest news with #SyedAshiqHussainKirmani
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Punjab to distribute loans under ‘livestock card phase-II'
LAHORE: The Punjab government is set to launch the second phase of its livestock card initiative which will see the distribution of loans against 300,000 animals to farmers across the province over a six-month period. The announcement was made during a high-level meeting chaired by Provincial Minister for Livestock and Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani where progress on several key initiatives in the livestock sector was reviewed. Under Phase-2, the number of animals allocated per farmer has been increased, allowing each beneficiary to receive between 5-20 animals. So far, over 150,000 applications have been received for the scheme while the urban unit has already completed physical verification of 161,000 animals, with the remaining verification work currently underway. The meeting, held at the livestock department also included a comprehensive review of the recovery progress from livestock card phase-1. The Minister was informed that 95 percent of the recovery process had been completed. He congratulated the divisional directors and officers across Punjab for their performance, noting that their dedication reflected the department's commitment to achieving its targets. He directed that the remaining five percent of recoveries be completed at the earliest and instructed the Punjab monitoring desk to immediately share pending data with the urban unit. Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani emphasized that all animals being distributed under the scheme will be tagged for identification and traceability. He further announced that as part of Phase-2, 5,500 animals will also be distributed among rural women in 12 districts of South Punjab. Applications for this initiative are being received from June 20 to July 20, and more than 58,000 have been submitted so far. The Minister praised the livestock initiatives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, stating that farmers are already witnessing the economic benefits of these programs. He expressed confidence that the continued implementation of livestock projects will significantly uplift rural livelihoods. During the meeting, the Minister was also briefed on the department's preparedness in the light of potential flooding across Punjab due to the ongoing monsoon season. Officials informed him that emergency plans have been implemented in river-adjacent districts. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Punjab explores Egyptian cotton production technology
LAHORE: A high-level delegation of the Punjab government led by the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani visited the Cotton Research Institute in Egypt and gathered insight about Egypt's long staple cotton. The delegation was briefed by the Egyptian Cotton Institute representatives that 19 Pakistani companies were currently importing long staple cotton from Egypt. The delegation inquired about the production technology of Egyptian cotton and inspected the quality of long staple cotton. The participants also discussed Egypt's cotton export volumes. The Pakistani delegation included Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari, Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Directors General Agriculture Ch Abdul Hameed and Naveed Asmat Kahloon, Director On-Farm Water Management Hafiz Qaiser Yasin, Project Director PESP Dr. Muhammad Anjum Ali, progressive farmer Hassan Raza, and Private Secretary to the Minister Muzaffar Ali. Later, the delegation also visited the FAO office located in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. During the same visit, the delegation also visited the headquarters of Egypt's National Food Safety Authority and both countries reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing mutual cooperation in the area of food safety. The delegation at the start of its visit also observed high-value agriculture model farms in Egypt. The delegation visited model farms of citrus fruits, dates, peaches, grapes, olives and mangoes and made a detailed visit to model farms of sugarcane and other crops. The delegation also visited the most modern pack houses of fruits and vegetables. Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani said that the experience of high-value agriculture in the Egyptian desert is worthy of imitation. He further said that the Punjab Agriculture Department will take practical steps to establish agricultural models on the Egyptian model. Practical steps will be taken to introduce the irrigation system model in the desert in Thal and Cholistan. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
10-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Punjab plans agri reforms to boost productivity: minister
LAHORE: 'The Punjab government is linking research institutions and universities and believes in supporting the private sector by providing maximum facilities with the aim to enhance agricultural productivity and profitability.' Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani stated this while speaking at a workshop 'current state of agriculture and planning for Punjab 2025–26' held on Thursday with the collaboration of the Punjab Agriculture Department, the Food Security and Agriculture Centre of Excellence (FACE), and the Pakistan Agricultural Coalition (PAC). The minister stressed that the establishment of virtual and electronic markets for agricultural commodity marketing is the need of the hour. He said the purpose of this consultative session is to engage stakeholders to assess the current status of agriculture and devise a future roadmap. He emphasized that the main focus is on enhancing agricultural productivity and profitability and ensure their sustainability. The government is committed to securing fair prices for farmers' produce. Highlighting the 'Transforming Agriculture Punjab' programme, he said a zero-interest loan of Rs 30 billion has been introduced to promote mechanization. The government is constructing 10 agri malls next year to provide agricultural machinery on a rental basis while construction of four agri malls is already 98 percent complete. The minister further stated that the chief minister is focusing on high-efficiency irrigation systems, research, and the supply of climate-resilient seeds. Under Phase I of the Kissan Card programme, Rs 57 billion in loans have been distributed to 525,000 farmers, out of which 98 percent have repaid their loans. Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari said that it is imperative to reduce crop production costs and increase per-acre yield. He noted that the Kissan Card programme has reduced input costs by 70 percent. He urged the government to focus more on agricultural research. Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo stated that Punjab contributes 70 percent to the country's agriculture and that practical steps are being taken to transform the sector. He emphasized the importance of corporate and cluster farming to meet modern agricultural demands and acknowledged that climate change presents a serious challenge to the sector. He also highlighted the Green Pakistan Initiative as a remarkable project of the government. Director General of the Green Corporate Initiative Pakistan, Major General Shahid Nazir, said that to turn the dream of agricultural transformation into reality, the government must address the instability in farmers' product pricing. He stressed the need to educate farmers on expanding cultivated land and to adopt modern technology, collect data, and benefit from agricultural experts to promote mechanization. During the workshop, stakeholders and private sector representatives held detailed discussions on the availability of farm inputs and improving farm economics. They focused on increasing per-acre yield and managing crop diversification. Another session offered consultations on mitigating the effects of climate change, restoring soil health, and ensuring adequate water availability. The fourth session emphasized the need for collective efforts to improve the agri-commodity marketing system. Participants included President of the Bank of Punjab Zafar Masud, Vice Chancellors of agricultural universities, Shehzad Malik from Guard Agri, stakeholders involved in agricultural production, and representatives from private companies. A large number of participants also joined the session online. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
10-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
PAD to distribute 10,000 subsidised tractors to farmers
LAHORE: The Punjab agriculture department is all set to invite applications for second phase of the green tractor programme to distribute 10,000 locally manufactured 50-65 horse power tractors among the farmers. The subsidy extended on these tractors will be Rs 500,000 per tractor. While under another scheme, 10,000 tractors (75 HP and above) both made locally or imported will get Rs 1 million subsidy. Meanwhile, under the wheat incentive support program, all 1,000 tractors are ready, 700 have already been delivered, and the remaining 300 will be delivered within two weeks. Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani announced this while presiding over a high-level meeting held at the Agriculture House on Wednesday. The meeting reviewed ongoing and new development projects under the Chief Minister Punjab 'Transforming Punjab Agriculture' program. Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari and Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo also participated. Highlighting various measures taken by the sitting government for agriculture, the Minister stated that under the wheat support program, Rs. 12 billion have already been distributed among farmers. He said the fiscal year 2025–26 will be a year of growth and prosperity for farmers. He shared that in the first phase of kissan card program, 500,000 cards were issued, and 98 percent recovery has been achieved. Under this phase, Rs. 55 billion were allocated for interest-free agricultural loans, 85 percent of which were used for purchasing fertilizers. The kissan card is a flagship initiative of the Punjab government, and the number of cardholders needs to increase to ensure timely procurement of agricultural inputs. In the second phase, Rs. 100 billion were allocated, of which Rs. 84 billion have already been disbursed and Rs. 35 billion utilized by farmers. Through this phase, farmers can purchase diesel, fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides without processing charges. Regarding Model Agriculture Malls, he informed that 98 percent of the construction work of four agri malls has been completed. In the next phase, 10 more such malls will be established across Punjab. In the second phase of the agriculture graduates internship program, 2,000 additional graduates will be hired. Under the solarisation of agri tube wells program, revised letters have been issued to 7,988 selected farmers. Inspection of 7,670 sites is complete, and 652 tube wells have been installed. The process will conclude by September 2025. The first and second phases of supplying super seeders under the smog control program have been completed. A total of 5,000 super seeders will be distributed before the rice harvest in September this year, with rural areas near the motorway given priority for the remaining 2,000. In the fiscal year 2025–26, under the hi-tech mechanization financing program, 11 types of new modern machinery will be provided to farmers on subsidy. Around 1,000 machines will be distributed, with Rs. 30 billion allocated for this purpose. Service providers/farmers will be offered interest-free loans of up to Rs. 50 million, repayable in five years. The meeting was also attended by Special Secretary Agriculture Agha Nabeel Akhtar, Director Generals Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, Naveed Asmat Kahloon, Engineer Sajid Hassan, Rana Tajammul, and other officials. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
09-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Punjab launches green tractor distribution scheme under wheat initiative
LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday launched the distribution of green tractors scheme among successful farmers selected through balloting under Chief Minister Punjab's 'Grow More Wheat' initiative in Okara district. Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani was the chief guest at the ceremony where keys were handed over to 26 farmers from the district. The government aims to distribute around 1,000 tractors under this scheme. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said free tractors are being provided to farmers across Punjab through a transparent e-balloting system. He noted that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is taking revolutionary steps for the growth and advancement of the agriculture sector. He emphasized that the current government has allocated a record Rs 123 billion for agriculture in the budget; a significant increase from the previous allocation of Rs 20 billion. For the first time in history, green tractors have been distributed to 10,000 farmers with a subsidy of Rs 1 million per unit. Additionally, interest-free loans worth Rs 75 billion have been issued to farmers through Kisan Cards. On the occasion, MPA Mian Muhammad Munir, Additional Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ibrahim Arbab, PML-N leader Rao Muhammad Ajmal, Director Agriculture Extension Shahbaz Akhtar, Deputy Director Agriculture Muhammad Ijaz, along with a large number of Agriculture Department officials and farmers, were present. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
