RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government introduced the Agriculture Transformation Plan worth Rs7 billion in the Potohar region on Tuesday.

A high-level meeting on the Agriculture Transformation Plan was held at the Rawalpindi Commissioner’s Office under the chairmanship of Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani.

“The plan will be a game changer for farmers’ prosperity and the development of the area,” said Minister Kirmani during the meeting.

Members of the Provincial Assembly from Rawalpindi Division, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari, Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Divisional Commissioner Aamir Khattak, Directors General Agriculture and Deputy Commissioners attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, the minister said that the Agriculture Transformation Plan worth Rs7bn has been launched in Potohar as a special initiative of the Punjab chief minister for agricultural development and farmers’ welfare.

Lawmaker says mini dams on the cards for land conservation

He added that the Punjab government is generously allocating resources for agricultural development in the Potohar region.

Practical steps, he said, have been initiated for the conservation of land and water. Special subsidies are also being provided for high-efficiency irrigation systems, land development, and laser land levellers.

A special programme has been introduced for the subsidised cultivation of ginger in the Potohar region, while farmers will also receive extensive support to increase olive cultivation. He further stated that to boost peanut production, high-yield seed and modern irrigation facilities will be provided on a subsidised basis.

A programme of Rs4bn has been started for irrigation and efficient water use, under which solar systems, modern irrigation systems and laser land levellers will be provided at 70 per cent subsidy.

For land conservation, 400 mini dams will be built at a cost of Rs1bn. With a subsidy of Rs77,000 per acre, 4,500 acres will be reclaimed using bulldozers, and farmers will be provided 25,000 kilograms of quality peanut seed.

On the occasion, Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that with financial assistance of Rs57,960 per acre, olive cultivation will be carried out on 3,625 acres, while cold press units for olive oil extraction will be provided at 50pc subsidy.

He said that ginger cultivation will be promoted with Rs370m, and to protect crops and orchards from wild animals, fences will be installed on 2,790 kanals at a cost of Rs500m.

Plants of blackberry, fig, nectarine, avocado, pecan nut and apple will also be provided to farmers.

He added that under the Chief Minister Punjab Kisan Package, the facility of purchasing agricultural inputs, fertilisers, seeds, and agricultural chemicals through the Kisan Card was provided in 2024-25 through interest-free loans, benefiting the majority of farmers.

In Phase 2 of the Kisan Card scheme, farmers can also purchase diesel with 20pc of the amount and withdraw 30pc in cash to meet their agricultural needs.

In Rawalpindi Division, 526 tractors were distributed at a subsidy of Rs1m each through a lottery under the Chief Minister of Punjab Green Tractors Programme. In addition, 38 farmers are being provided free tractors through balloting under the More Wheat Production Campaign.

The Punjab chief minister has announced a separate Agriculture Transformation Plan for the Potohar region, which will provide for the construction of mini dams, land levelling, solar systems, and high-efficiency irrigation systems.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2025