LAHORE: The Punjab government will provide 500,000 smartphones to farmers for receiving billion rupee-worth interest-free loans a year and other agriculture services in the first phase of a five-year project for providing five million smartphones.

“The distribution of smartphones will start in October and its apps will also help farmers interact with agriculture officials and experts for advice on improvement in crops,” said Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) Chairman Dr Umer Saif while addressing a meeting at his office on Wednesday.

He said farmers would be able to apply for agri loans through the PITB-led app that would eliminate patwari and bank agent culture. He also said the app would help farmers receive alerts about weather conditions, crop diseases and protection and timely use of fertilisers and pesticides.

He said farmers would be provided interest-free loans through the National Bank, Agriculture Development Bank, Bank of Punjab, Tameer Bank, Akhuwat and the National Rural Support Programme.