Karachi, April 27, 2018 (PPI-OT): Mechanization is an essential input for agricultural crop production. It started with green revolution but speed was slow because of affordably of farming community. Increasing the mechanization in agriculture means that more tasks can be completed at the right time and more lands can be farmed to produce better quantities of crops and conserving natural resources.
Mechanization can increase land productivity by facilitating timeliness and quality of cultivation; support opportunities that relieve the burden of labour shortages and enable households to withstand shocks better; decrease the environmental footprint of agriculture when combined with adequate conservation agriculture practices; and reduce poverty and achieve food security while improving people’s livelihoods.
In this regard Agriculture, Supply and Prices Department Government of Sindh has started providing subsidy on purchase of wheel type tractors from 2009-10 and so far total 28,264 numbers with total subsidy of 7498.10 Million PKR had provided to the farmers of Sindh which covers the cultivation of 948,734 hectors land for efficient farm mechanization.
Today on Friday 27th April 2018 department is arranging Balloting Ceremony through IT Department of Sindh Bank for providing 6200 numbers of Wheel Type Tractors on subsidized cost amounting total of Rs.1500.00 Million PKR for current financial year 2017-18. Department has transparently invited applications from the farmers through press advertisement and field staff awareness under ADP scheme ‘Provision of Assistance to the Farmers on Purchase of Wheel Type Tractors, Phase-IV’. Department has received total 18329 applications against the allocation of the subsidy of 6200 wheel type tractors.
In this Balloting Ceremony, Agriculture Department has invited to the Chairman Planning and Development Board (P and D) and Chairman NAB, Deputy Commissioners of the all Districts of Sindh, Representatives of District Councils, Representatives of different Farmer’s Association and Organizations.
The subsidy will be announced through transparent and open balloting process executed by the IT Department of Sindh Bank in the presence of all stakeholders. It is 9th balloting of subsidized tractor scheme from Agriculture, Supply and Prices Department Government of Sindh. Subsidy per small tractor is fixed Rs.200,000 PKR for 3825 numbers, while Rs.300,000 PKR subsidy will be provided on large tractors which are 2375 numbers on the basis of District Wise Quota.
For the ensurence of transparency different checks are made; at the time of submitting application in Banks, biometric verification and duly attested form-VII of land will be checked and ensured at the Bank’s premises and same procedure will be followed at the time of delivery of tractors. The Form-VII of the successful farmer will be re-checked through online verification system of revenue department LARMIS prior to the acceptance of application of successful farmers. If anyone failed in verification of documents at any stage, it will be considered as disqualified and will be deleted from the list of successors.
Successful farmers will receive tractors in the premises of Agriculture Engineering Workshops in the presence of high level committee of Agriculture Engineers, Concerned Division Convener, Representatives of Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Agriculture Engineer and Member concerned workshops. After completion of balloting, results will be uploaded immediately on websites of Sindh Bank and Agriculture, supply and prices department Government of Sindh to ensure transparency. All the procedure is adopted as per approved PC-I and under the advisory of NAB.
For more information, contact:
Information and Archives Department
Directorate of Press Information
Government of Sindh
95-Sindh Secretariat 4-B, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-99204423, +92-21-99204401
Email: pressinformationzubair@gmail.com
Website: http://sindhinformation.gos.pk