The Punjab government plans to spend Rs1 billion over two years on a dairy mechanisation project to modernise the province's livestock sector. This initiative intends to provide subsidies for modern machinery to 6,400 farmers across all 41 districts of the province.
The government will fund 60 percent of the cost for eligible equipment, while farmers must cover the remaining 40 percent. A cap of Rs500,000 per beneficiary applies to the subsidy provided under the scheme.
Rs461 million of the total budget was assigned for the current fiscal year, with the rest earmarked for subsidy payments during 2027-28. Punjab produces roughly 74 percent of the milk in Pakistan and maintains a livestock population of 104.2 million animals.
The province's livestock includes 29.56 million buffaloes, 26.97 million cattle, and 31.31 million goats. Agriculture contributes 62 percent to the provincial GDP and 14.04 percent to the national GDP.
Faisalabad is set to receive the highest allocation with up to 335 beneficiaries, followed by Rahim Yar Khan with 322. Other districts include Bahawalnagar with 284 beneficiaries, Sargodha with 270, Okara with 267, and Lahore with 138.
Murree has the smallest projected allocation, with 10 farmers expected to benefit. Farmers can submit their applications at the tehsil level, where eligible applicants will be chosen through electronic balloting at the district level.
The project will hire consultants to prequalify suppliers and finalise the specifications for the machinery. "As most livestock in Punjab are owned by small and resource-constrained farmers, the two-year project is expected to help them become more economically empowered," said Dr Muhammad Naeem Kanwar.
