Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved a Rs55.8 billion Wheat Support Program designed to encourage wheat cultivation, safeguard food security, and provide direct assistance to small farmers across the province.
Announcing the package during a high-level review meeting, the chief minister said the initiative was necessary after a drop in Sindh’s wheat production caused by the absence of a fixed support price and limited government procurement.
Under the plan, farmers owning up to 25 acres of land will receive one bag of DAP fertilizer and two bags of urea each. According to official figures, 411,408 growers holding 2,262,746 acres of land stand to benefit. The Sindh government will distribute 2,262,746 DAP bags and 4,525,492 urea bags to eligible cultivators.
Agriculture Minister Muhammad Bux Maher informed the meeting that a Procurement Committee and a Survey Team, headed by the Director General Agriculture, have already been formed. A verification cell has also been set up to confirm farmer eligibility before distribution. Fertilizers will be handed out only after completion of the wheat crop survey and verification process.
The chief minister directed the agriculture department to begin distribution in the second week of November to ensure timely sowing for a bumper wheat crop. He also assured farmers that they would be offered a better support price this season.
The meeting was attended by Agriculture Minister Muhammad Bux Maher, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah, Secretary to CM Abdul Rahim Shaikh, Agriculture Secretary Zamin Narejo, Special Secretary Finance Asghar Memon, and other senior officials.
