RAWALPINDI: Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani has said the government has fixed the proposed wheat support price at Rs4,500 per maund and the wheat cultivation target in the current season at 16.5 million acres for Punjab including 1.6 million acres for the Rawalpindi division.

He stated this during a meeting held to review efforts for promoting wheat cultivation and achieving the targets at the commissioner’s office.

Addressing the meeting, the minister said special assignments had been given to the field formations to ensure wheat cultivation over an area exceeding the prescribed targets.

He said wheat had a fundamental importance for national food security and wheat cultivation had become a profitable venture for farmers as a result of the government’s ongoing initiatives.

He said a subsidy of Rs320 million was being provided to promote the use of certified seed, while certified seed supplied by the Punjab Seed Corporation was available at Rs7,000 per bag after a subsidy of Rs800 per bag.

An additional interest-free loan of Rs17 billion was being provided for the purchase of DAP fertiliser for five million acres. Through the Kissan Card, farmers are also being facilitated with an additional interest-free loan of Rs3,500 per acre, benefiting approximately one million farmers.

Secretary Agriculture Punjab Shakeel Ahmad Mian informed the meeting that implementation of the Agriculture Transformation Plan was underway in the Potohar region.

He said the ongoing campaign to promote wheat cultivation was being regularly monitored through field formations. He said active and practical support from divisional and district administration was essential to achieve the prescribed wheat cultivation targets.

Parliamentary Secretary for Zakat and Ushr Malik Iftikhar Ahmed, MPA Malik Aitbar Khan, deputy commissioners of the Rawalpindi division and relevant officers, farmers and other stakeholders attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2026