Islamabad: The federal government recently approved a subsidy worth PKR 37 billion on fertilisers for farmers under its relief package for the agriculture sector amid the country’s ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation, a news source reported.
As per the publication, the relief package is designed to promote agricultural production and support growers besides subsiding the fertilisers. The government will provide a subsidy of PKR 925 per bag of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and a subsidy of PKR 243 per bag on urea and other fertilisers.
Additionally, a senior official of the Ministry of National Food Security informed that 3.04 million tons of urea and 0.95 million tons of DAP will be purchased. The official further said that the subsidy would be provided for the ongoing Kharif season that begins from April and lasts till October.
Furthermore, he informed that the provincial government would implement the subsidy through a scratch card scheme – which was already conducted in Punjab. He also said that the fertilisers consumed 10 to 15 percent in the cost of production for farmers and the provision of the said subsidy would increase the affordability of fertilisers and reduce the overall production costs – to provide relief to the farmers.
