Punjab secures over 500,000-tonne potato export orders

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Punjab has received export orders for more than 500,000 tonnes of potatoes, a development attributed to the efforts of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to strengthen the province’s agricultural economy and expand international market access.

The announcement was made during a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, where key decisions were taken to modernise agriculture and enhance farmers’ incomes through structural reforms and targeted support programmes.

Maryam Nawaz approved the inclusion of agriculture interns in the “Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar” (My Farm, My Livelihood) programme, raising their monthly stipend to Rs70,000. The initiative is aimed at empowering young graduates and promoting innovation in the farming sector.

In a first for Punjab, the government decided to introduce a rooftop hydroponics project, enabling the cultivation of between 280 and 350 plants on a two-marla rooftop. The scheme is expected to significantly boost vegetable production, marking what officials described as a new era of food security in the province, with output projected to increase up to 32-fold under controlled systems.

The meeting also approved the transformation of seven million acres of land in South Punjab’s Thal region under the “Transformation of Agriculture in Thal” initiative to bring uncultivated land into productive use.

Under the fourth phase of the CM Green Tractor Programme, high-horsepower tractors will receive a subsidy of Rs1.5 million, while subsidies for lower-horsepower tractors have been increased to between Rs500,000 and Rs700,000.

Additionally, Punjab will introduce an “On-Farm Rain Harvesting” project, including the installation of ground recharge wells to channel rainwater back into aquifers. A subsidy of Rs500,000 will be provided for 1,000 recharge wells in Lahore, Gujranwala and Gujrat, while 70 per cent subsidies will be offered for 1,000 rain-harvesting ponds.

Record sales of Rs462 million were reported at Model Agriculture Malls in Multan, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur and Sargodha, with home delivery services introduced within a 50-kilometre radius. The Agriculture Department will also procure 50 new bulldozers to support land development projects.

Under the “Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar” scheme, farmers will receive financial assistance of Rs50,000 per acre. Officials further noted that the wheat cultivation target of 16.5 million acres has been achieved, with an expected production of 22.30 million metric tonnes this season.

Provincial authorities expressed confidence that the combined measures would not only strengthen food security but also enhance export potential and rural prosperity across Punjab.