LAHORE, April 11: The government will procure all the wheat and take every step to ensure the crop’s support price for the farmers, according to Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

Speaking at the Kissan Convention arranged by the Kissan Board of Pakistan on Friday, the chief minister iterated that the government would ensure that every farmer got the official price of wheat without suffering at the hands of middlemen. “The provincial machinery will be mobilized to facilitate farmers and export necessary quantity of wheat.”

He promised to introduce a tractor-financing scheme in the rural areas on the pattern of car-financing schemes launched in the urban centres. The government was in touch with all the banks to finalize the schemes in which the farmers would be able to own tractors after paying the initial down payment and the rest of the money in easy instalments, he said. Besides, the government was also trying to increase low-interest loan outlay for the farmers, he added.

Terming his government farmer-friendly, the chief minister promised welfare of growers and strengthening of agriculture sector without any political interference. “There is no politics in the development of agriculture sector and protection of farmers.”

To facilitate the process, he said, the government would form an agriculture consultative body having representatives of the farmers. All the welfare schemes would be based on the body’s recommendations, he added.

Talking about compensation to the border areas’ farmers whose lands were mined during the tension between India and Pakistan, he said the provincial government had already prepared estimates and dispatched these to the federal government. “It has asked for Rs750 million, which will be disbursed among the farmers as soon as the provincial government gets it,” he said.

“Research provides basis for development of every sector and the agriculture is no exception. For this purpose, the government is preparing a comprehensive research strategy for farmers,” he said.

Taking note of the complaint of the KBP president about bungling in the land record, Mr Elahi said the government had earmarked Rs1 billion for the computerization of the land record so that these difficulties could be reduced.

The chief minister also spoke about irrigation improvement plans and told the audience that Rs31 billion would be spent on these projects. There would be significant increase in brick-lining of water courses in the province, he pledged.