LAHORE   -  Provincial Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani on Tuesday said the Punjab government has allocated a huge amount of Rs30 billion for the Chief Minister Punjab Green Tractor Scheme. Presiding over a meeting with representatives of the tractor industry at Agriculture House, the minister said earlier farmers were not provided such a large subsidy on tractors. Under the scheme, the owners of 1 to 50 acres of agricultural land are being provided with tractors of 50 to 85 Horse Power (HP) according to their choice at a subsidy of Rs.10 lakh per tractor. He said that the chief minister desired that the local manufacturing industry of tractors should show generosity and provide a discount of 10 to 15 percent per tractor to the farmers. The initiative will promote agriculture and the tractor manufacturing industry and local farmers’ confidence in the tractor industry would increase, he added. The provincial minister said that the entire system up to the delivery of tractors to the farmers will be mechanised. According to the vision of the chief minister, the scheme is being launched on a large scale.

In connection with the purchase of the tractor, the farmer would be given an option to buy a tractor of their choice, the minister said and made it clear to the representatives of the tractor industry that the SOPs of Agriculture Department must be kept in mind while manfacturing the green tractor.

Secretary Agriculture, Punjab, Iftikhar Ali Sahoo added that not only the farmers but also the tractor industry would benefit from this scheme. He said that supply of tractors, receipt of applications and draw would be conducted in a transparent manner.

Chief Executive Officer Millat Tractor Raheel Asghar said that the local industry appreciates the Chief Minister Punjab Green Tractor Scheme and the entire industry would provide support and cooperation to the scheme locally. Delivery free and warranty period of green tractors would be extended from 1 year. Even in case of increase in sales tax by the federal government, the fixed price of green tractors will not be increased.

The meeting was attended by Director General Agriculture Extension Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, CEOs and representatives of Al-Ghazi Tractor, Barak, Orient and Pak Tractors.