Punjab Agriculture Minister Dr Farrukh Javed has said that 10 billion rupees subsidy is being announced for Basmati rice growers keeping in view the downward trend in its prices. Growers will be given 5000 rupees per acre subsidy to help them meeting their losses.

Dr Farrukh Javed disclosed this while talking to a delegation of growers here on Wednesday. He said that the government is continuing its pro-farmer policies. He said that growers had already been given a subsidy of 22 billion rupees in electricity prices and it would be continued. He said growers would get subsidised rates of electricity at the rate of Rs 10.35 per unit.

The Punjab government has also finalised an agreement with a German company to convert tube wells in the province on biogas and a pilot project will soon be initiated. The government will be bearing a subsidy of 200,000 rupees per tube well, the Minister added. The Minister claimed that present government had introduced farmer friendly policies and historic subsidy packages. He said that the province had a production of over 19.5 million tons last year owing to hard work of growers and co-operation of the government extended to them.

He said some progressive growers achieved production up to 98 maund per acre establishing a new national record. He said the government had fixed new support price for wheat at Rs 1300 per maund to help the growers and shed the bad impact of low international wheat prices on local market. He said government had fixed urea fertilizer bag at Rs 1765 per bag and its availability on this rate is being ensured. He said that the government had also increased the research funds for agricultural sector by 200 percent and it would continue to introduce more lucrative packages as per available resources to facilitate the farmers.

Source: Business Recorder