Subsidy To Be Provided To Registered Farmers On Sunflower Cultivation

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Dec, 2022 ) :The government would provide subsidy of Rs.5000 to registered farmers on cultivation of sunflower crop.

A spokesman of Agriculture (Extension) department said here on Thursday that Pakistan was importing edible oil worth Rs.300 billion per annum. Therefore the government had decided to promote cultivation of oil-seed crops especially sunflower which would play a pivotal role in catering to domestic needs in addition to trimming down the import bill of edible oil.

He said the government would provide subsidy of Rs.5000 per acre to registered farmers on cultivation of sunflower crops whereas such growers would also be entitled to get agriculture appliances on 50% subsidized rates. He said that farmers should use latest technology to cultivate and harvest their crops as latest techniques could help save their precious produce from pre and post harvest wastage in addition to decreasing their input cost.

The growers were being persuaded to cultivate experimental plots of sunflower crops and the government would also provide subsidy of Rs.15,000 per acre for installation of latest technologies, he added.

He said that sunflower cultivation would start with the advent of January and the farmers of southern Punjab areas including Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajan Pur, Bahawal Pur, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Vehari, Bahawal Nagar, Muzaffar Garh, Layyah, Lodhran, Bhakkar and Khanewal should complete cultivation of sunflower crops up to January 31.

Similarly, the farmers of central Punjab areas including Faisalabad, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab, Jhang, Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan, Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafiz Abad, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib could cultivate up to February 10 whereas best time for cultivation of sunflower crops in southern Punjab area including Narowal, Attock, Rawalpindi, Gujrat, Jehlum and Chakwal was from 1st January to 15th February, he added.

He said that growers should use 2 kilograms (kg) seeds of hybrid variety which had 90 percent growth rate whereas the number of plant should be from 22,000 to 23,000 per acre.

Among hybrid sunflower varieties included Hi-Sun-33, T-40318, Agora-4, S-278, Orisun-516, Orisun-675, Orisun-701, Orisun-7, etc., he said and advised the growers to complete cultivation of sunflower within suitable time because late sowing could hamper the production by damaging quality as well as quantity of grains.