The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has launched the fourth phase of the Green Tractor Scheme through digital balloting, with the government offering a subsidy of Rs.750,000 on each tractor.
The provincial government has also opened an online application portal for the fifth phase, saying it plans to provide 19,500 tractors to farmers during the current financial year.
Under Phase four, 10,000 tractors with engines ranging from 50 to 65 horsepower will be provided, with a subsidy of Rs.750,000 for each tractor.
The first tractor selected in the digital draw went to Masood Khan, son of Lal Khan, from Attock, according to officials.
In the fifth phase of the scheme, 9,500 tractors with 75 to 125 horsepower will be provided to farmers, with the government offering a subsidy of Rs.1 million per tractor.
The Punjab government has allocated Rs17.6bn for the Green Tractor Scheme. Officials said the program had already provided 24,000 tractors to farmers, with a subsidy of Rs1m per tractor.
Over 213,637 farmers applied for the program. After verification by the Punjab Land Records Authority and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), 128,757 applicants were declared eligible for the balloting.
Farmers owning at least five acres of agricultural land were eligible to apply.
A briefing to the chief minister said 35,000 tractors were distributed during Maryam Nawaz’s two-and-a-half-year tenure, compared with 10,000 over the previous 20 years.
It also said Rs.20 billion had been spent on agricultural mechanization during the same period, compared with Rs.3 billion over the preceding two decades.
