KP disclosed Rs17.6 billion mega agriculture package

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture Department has disclosed a mega agriculture package worth Rs17.573 billion to facilitate farmers, beekeepers, and horticulturists of the province.

KP disclosed Rs17.6 billion mega agriculture package

The package entitled, “Incentives plan for agriculture sector KP,” has been devise by Agriculture Extension Wing of KP Agriculture Department which received round of applause by the Prime Minister Imran Khan as per vision to get better socio-economic of people connected with the agriculture sector.

Dr Murad Ali, Deputy Director Planning Agriculture Extension said that the major apparatus of the mega package to be covered under the plan over a period of next five years included incentive plans for cereals, horticulturists, sugarcane growers, agri extension activities, agriculture marketing produce, addition in fruits vegetable and processing.

According to 2015 statistics, fruits are sown on areas of 38357 hectares having production of 335986 tons and similarly vegetables growing on area of 34810 hectares with a production of 384694 tons.

The senior agriculture officer said farmers associated with sugarcane will be provided Rs100.750 million incentives under the plan which will benefit around 10500 farmers in the province.

Sugarcane is one of the major cash crops of the province as it was sown in an area of 11586 hectares having production of 5472889 tons. Under the plan, sugarcane growers will be provided incentives in the shape of nurseries kids and machinery.

The plan has also addressed the marketing issues of the agriculture fabricate in the province, included construction of nine markets, registration of all chief and minor agriculture markets, capacity building of farmers, stakeholders and broadcasting of market information to the farmers through ICT.

Around 30,000 small and poor farmers would be facilitated and benefited by providing small and urge machinery and equipment. Value addition 12000 numbers of farmers will be distributed at a cost of Rs4.30 billion. Similarly, under honey beekeeping and processing a total of 3000 farmers will benefit at a cost of Rs225 million.