The Food Security and Productivity Enhancement Programme for small farmers has been expanded in 1012 Punjab villages with Rs100 million. A spokesman of Agriculture department on Sunday told APP that federal, provincial and district governments in Punjab would jointly carry out the programme. In Sialkot district, it would be carried out in 72 villages and each village be given funds amounting to Rs1.95 crore for the implementation of the programme while work on the project has been already initiated. Objectives of the project are to supplement government's ongoing efforts to increase food product through crop productivity, ensure food security and alleviate poverty in rural areas through improving income of small farmers and build a mechanism for sustaining the programme. The department official also said that the programme will focus on increasing productivity for improving food security and meet rapidly growing food demands as well as to reduce seasonal and year to year variability in production on economically and environmentally sustainable basis, he said. Further, the main crops like wheat, rice will be covered while small crops like pulses, oilseeds, maize and fodder are also included for the benefit of the farmers. The project, after completion, would be supportive in bringing boom in per acre yield of crops and help reduce poverty scale in these districts of the country, spokesman maintained. Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2008