Daily Times

The Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF) has proposed various measures to Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz Sharif for revival of the agriculture sector in the country.

PBF Vice President Ahmad Jawad said in a statement here on Sunday that country’s agriculture sector plays a central role in the economy absorbing 42.3 per cent of the labour force. He said, “By eliminating hunger and malnutrition through agriculture growth and diversification, we could act as a catalyst towards attaining food security.” He said that major areas of intervention of the agriculture sector was still under federal government, which could provide immediate relief to farmers, but some measures could be implemented under the ambit of the new Punjab government on account of relief to the farming community, which may be allocated in the coming provincial budget. The PBF proposed that previous green tractors scheme of former Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif might be revived through Bank of Punjab (BoP). However, PBF vice president added, it might be linked with the crop area, and subsidy on agriculture credit might be given to farmers through the BoP. The PBF proposed to introduce one-window facility at tehsil level with the combination of revenue department, Nadra, Agriculture Department, to facilitate farmers on every issue regarding crops, land record and others;

Allocate duties of provincial inspectors to inspect pesticides factories to check the quality which is not executed right now, as inspection were allowed on federal govt pesticides to provinces act under section 28(a). Former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif had started the fertiliser subsidy scheme in 2018 and later Buzdar government adopted the same scheme and provided subsidy through Kissan card. Right now only 20 bags were sanctioned to each farmer for DAP/Potash. Now it may revise it and take it up to 40 bags per year to each registered farmer with the revised subsidy of Rs 2000 on each bag in the view of higher prices of fertilisers; inspection of seed by the Agriculture Department officials on every new variety at tehsil level to adopt the concept of ‘seeing is believing’ before allowing to place on dealer shops; revival of ‘Khadim-e-Punjab Daihi roads programme’ on tehsil level; Immediately curbing illegal hoarding of fertilizers with strict penalty fines through legal enforcement on tehsil level; and Development of modern markets with packaging, sorting and storage facilities under the PPP [public private partnership] mode under the Punjab Agricultural Marketing Regulatory Authority.