Officials said the government is considering two suggestions to easily understand the financial burden on farmers affected by the recent floods, including the regeneration of the Zarai Taraqiyati Bank Limited (ZTBL) loans or the possible Right Off.
According to the Express Tribune, cabinet members, in a recent meeting with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, recommended ZTBL lenders to be relieved by discounts of interest payments, as well as relief by writing or resetting loans.
The government -owned bank is an important source of financial support for the agriculture sector.
The ministers warned that wheat farmers already arrange low prices during the 2024-25 crop season, it is unlikely to re-impose this year without government intervention. He called on the provinces to restore the auxiliary price procedure, however, with caution, that the announcement of the price very quickly would only benefit the storage. He also emphasized that farmers should be consulted directly before any policy change.
The cabinet emphasized that unanimous and climate change is provincial responsibilities and insisted that new programs in these areas should be designed with provincial cooperation and financing. With a limited financial space at the federal level, members argued that any proposed emergency should be linked to a clear, viable plan to remove agricultural aid and climate flexibility.
He emphasized dual strategies: Immediately short -term measurements to help flood -affected farmers and long -term structural reforms to reduce the effects of climate change on agriculture. For this purpose, they demanded an immediate meeting of the Pakistan Climate Change Council, set up under the 2017 climate change Act, to develop a coordinated strategy with the input of all stakeholders.
Cabinet members also highlighted a complex factor, resources stress and rapid population increases as worsening the risks of climate. He proposed to set up a high -level committee, headed by the Minister of Planning and is comprised of provincial chief secretaries to make concrete steps to deal with agricultural and climate emergency.