Friday, December 12, 2008
By Jawwad Rizvi
LAHORE: For maximum participation of every district in the “grow more wheat” campaign, the Punjab Agriculture department had planned to give a tractor as prize at tehsil level, The News has learnt. In this regard, a proposal was made by the Punjab Agriculture department in consultation with Agriculture Minister Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh for achievement of over ambitious wheat production target of 20 million tonnes this season.The prize will be given to wheat growers who showed increase in their per acre yield compared to the last year’s. The summary of the proposal has been sent to the chief minister for final approval and is likely get his nod in a couple of days. Officials of the Agriculture department has said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced to give 225 tractors under the grow more wheat campaign to the farmers of the division achieving maximum per acre yield.However, after a meeting, the minister and Agriculture department official pointed out that under this distribution, the competition would only be between three divisions and maximum participation of the wheat growers would not be ensured. Thus for maximum participation of the framers and create their interest in wheat production, a proposal was made to have the wheat production contest at t
ehsil level. Under the initial plan when the chief minister had announced tractors as prizes for wheat growers, 100 tractors were reserved for the division coming at 1st number in wheat production, 75 attaining 2nd position and 50 for the 3rd position holder. However, this plan has a loophole that only three divisions will contest and the rest of the divisions will be ignored. There is also a probability that the big wheat sowing divisions will get comparative advantage over small divisions while wheat yield in barrani areas will register an increase this year after timely rain. Thus, the officials and minister were of the view that if the tractors were be given on division basis, then only three divisions or barrani areas would get the prize and rest of the six divisions have nothing to get as encouragement and work hard next time.In such a scenario, the official of the Agriculture department in consultation with the minister has devised a plan in which they had decided that the tractors should be given to the farmers achieving more per acre yield at tehsil level in order to create motivation among them.There are 127 tehsils in the province and out of the 225 tractors, 127 would be given at tehsil level and two at every district level. Thus, 70 tractors will be given this way and three each at divisions level, which comes out to 27 tractors and the rest could be given to the growers achieving more per acre yield at provincial levels. Punjab Agriculture Minter Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh said the proposal had been forwarded and was waiting for the CM’s final nod.
ehsil level. Under the initial plan when the chief minister had announced tractors as prizes for wheat growers, 100 tractors were reserved for the division coming at 1st number in wheat production, 75 attaining 2nd position and 50 for the 3rd position holder. However, this plan has a loophole that only three divisions will contest and the rest of the divisions will be ignored. There is also a probability that the big wheat sowing divisions will get comparative advantage over small divisions while wheat yield in barrani areas will register an increase this year after timely rain. Thus, the officials and minister were of the view that if the tractors were be given on division basis, then only three divisions or barrani areas would get the prize and rest of the six divisions have nothing to get as encouragement and work hard next time.In such a scenario, the official of the Agriculture department in consultation with the minister has devised a plan in which they had decided that the tractors should be given to the farmers achieving more per acre yield at tehsil level in order to create motivation among them.There are 127 tehsils in the province and out of the 225 tractors, 127 would be given at tehsil level and two at every district level. Thus, 70 tractors will be given this way and three each at divisions level, which comes out to 27 tractors and the rest could be given to the growers achieving more per acre yield at provincial levels. Punjab Agriculture Minter Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh said the proposal had been forwarded and was waiting for the CM’s final nod.The article was published in The News on Friday December 12 2008.
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