Pakistan Today (Lahore)

Punjab CM unveils first-ever livestock card, farmer guidance app

- STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched the first-ever Punjab Livestock Card along with the inaugural Farmer Guidance App, designed to assist livestock farmers by providing interestfr­ee loans for cattle fodder.

During a special meeting held in Murree on Saturday, focused on enhancing livestock management, Chief Minister Sharif endorsed several key initiative­s. Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, Provincial Agricultur­e

Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain, Special Assistant Rashid Nasrullah, Chief Secretary Zahida Akhtar Zaman, Secretary of Livestock, and other officials were present at the meeting.

She instructed the relevant department to develop a comprehens­ive dairy farming plan for South Punjab, emphasizin­g the government’s commitment to leading the region’s livestock farmers towards economic independen­ce.

Officials provided a detailed briefing at the meeting, noting that the new initiative­s would include evaluating interest-free loan provisions in easy installmen­ts for both male and female dairy farmers in rural South Punjab. Initially, the Punjab Livestock Card will benefit 40,000 farmers across the province. Additional­ly, the scheme will facilitate the export of 400,000 kg of animal meat. Farmers will also receive compliment­ary animal tagging services and access to quality testing for wanda and silage.

The meeting revealed plans for offering farmers easy loans of Rs270,000 for purchasing wanda, silage, and mineral mixtures. The card scheme will allow farmers to repay these loans within 30 days. The introducti­on of an animal identity traceabili­ty system in Punjab aims to improve livestock maintenanc­e efficiency.

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RAWALPINDI

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