LAHORE: The Punjab government will announce its agriculture policy next week with a package of incentives for farm researchers and service structure for thousands of employees of research institutes.

Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Langrial says the policy will be launched by the chief minister on Feb 20.

Talking to the media along with information minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan here on Wednesday, he said that incentives for agriculture scientists like offering them half of the amount to be received through auction of the seed they would develop, would also be announced.

Responding to a query, he said restructuring of research was also being introduced within a week in which over 25,000 employees will be given better pay scales.

Mr Chohan told a questioner that the imbalance in agricultural trade with India was resulting in heavy losses to the exchequer. “Of around Rs52 billion mutual farm trade volume, Pakistan could export only 25 per cent of it because of heavily subsidised farming in India that led to losses to the local farming community. Therefore, revival of the trade is not feasible in the present circumstances.”

Earlier, Mr Langrial talked about the steps the Punjab government had so far taken in the agriculture sector and its achievements. These included allocation of Rs36bn in the 2018-19 budget for agriculture growth, increase in the limit of interest-free loans for Rabi crops from Rs25,000 to Rs30,000 with total distribution worth Rs5 billion among 101,228 registered farmers. He also mentioned crop Insurance (Takkaful) in nine districts for 30,000 growers of rice, cotton and wheat crops, extending of Rs5,000 per acre subsidy to increase oil seed crop area, Rs500 per bag subsidy on DAP fertiliser, Rs200 subsidy on Nitrophos and Rs800 per bag subsidy on SOP.

The minister said the government would also provide Rs1,000 per bag subsidy on cotton seed to the registered farmers in Multan, Vehari, Khanewal, Rahim Yar Khan, DG Khan and Rajanpur districts for an area of 100,000 acres and hoped the federal government would extend similar relief to more areas.

He also talked about revamping agriculture marketing system to minimise the role of the middle man, establishing model market at a cost of Rs5 billion at Lakhudair in Lahore, ensuring payment of Rs180 per 40kg to sugarcane growers by the mills this year, improving 2,100 water courses, and installing drip and sprinkler irrigation systems on 12,000 acres.

In Potohar region, 160 ponds were being developed for saving water and 360 schemes were being operated in non-canal areas, he added.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2019