RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has begun a scheme to subsidise diammonium phosphate (DAP), a fertiliser, by Rs150 per bag for farmers in the Potohar region.

The move was announced at a meeting of the District Agriculture Task Force Committee at the deputy commissioner`s of fice.

The meeting was chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner Finance and Planning Rao Atif Raza and attended by Deputy DirectorAgriculture Khalid Mehmood, Assistant Officer Technician Balgees Khanum, Mohammad Ayaz, Taxila Assistant Director Tahir Mehmood, Agriculture Assistant Director Sadia Bano, Pesticides Assistant Director Mohammad Ageel Awan and other officials.

Mr Raza said at the meeting that the agriculture sector needs to be streamlined on scientific lines to increase production, and special initiatives are being taken in this regard that aim to increase per-acre production and ensure the availability of fertilisers at the specified amount and price.He added that the Punjab government`s kisan package was a practical demonstration of its aim to bring relief to farmers.

`The DAP subsidy scheme is another chain of it, under which holders of the DAP scratch card will get a subsidy of Rs150 per bag. 61, 847 farmers have been registered for the Kisan Card in the Rawalpindi district so far who can benefit from these subsidy schemes,` he said.

Assistant Director Khalid Mehmood said 17 registered subdealers and 18 registered dealers of fertilisers are currently working in the district.

In order to ensure the requiredstock of fertilisers is available, 5,794 bags 50 kilograms of Urea and 499 bags of DAP have been reserved. Furthermore, he said, 45 samples have been drawn of which 34 are fit and one has been marked unfit; the results of 10 are still awaited.

Mr Mehmood said that along with other assigned tasks, 938 farmers training sessions have been organised that have trained 15,043 farmers.

He said officers were also available to guide people interested in kitchen garden, and seeds were being provided at subsidised rates to promote this trend at the domestic level.