Punjab Livestock Card: Up to Rs 540,000 Interest-Free, How to Apply Next Season

The CM Punjab Livestock Card gives farmers who keep 5 to 20 male calves an interest-free loan of up to Rs 540,000 for feed, through a Bank of Punjab card. Phase 3 opened on 15 July 2026. When we checked plc.punjab.gov.pk on 28 September 2026, it said the current application season is closed.

So you cannot apply today. You can get ready, though, because the scheme runs first come, first served, and the farmers who had their CNIC, SIM and animals in order were the ones who got in early.

We read the Livestock and Dairy Development Department's Phase 3 notice on livestock.punjab.gov.pk, the application portal itself, and the scheme page on the Punjab government portal. Where they disagree, or where a detail appears only in press reports, we say so below.

Phase 3 applications are closed for now

The Punjab Livestock Card portal at plc.punjab.gov.pk shows "Current Application Season is Closed" in English and Urdu. It asks farmers to come back for news of the next season. No reopening date is given, and the department has not announced a Phase 4.

That notice matters, because pages still circulating online tell farmers to apply now. Some of them are private sites dressed up to look official. The only application portal named in the department's own notice is plc.punjab.gov.pk. Anything else asking for your CNIC and a fee is not the scheme.

The toll-free helpline is 0800-09211, which the department's poster prints as 08000-9211. It is the same number. Call it before you trust any message that says a new phase has opened.

What the Livestock Card gives you

The card carries an interest-free loan for animal feed. In Phase 3 the ceiling rose to Rs 540,000, twice the Rs 270,000 top figure on the Punjab portal's scheme page for the earlier phases. The card can only buy feed at registered dealers, with a 25% cash withdrawal allowed.

The department's Phase 3 notice says the card buys vanda (cattle feed cake), silage and mineral mixture from dealers registered at tehsil level. That fits the scheme's purpose. The Punjab portal describes it as feed money for calf fattening, meaning raising young male animals to a sale weight.

The 25% cash figure is from the same notice. It does not say whether that is 25% of the full limit or of each purchase, so ask the helpline before you plan around it.

Who qualifies for the Punjab Livestock Card

The Phase 3 notice lists four conditions: you live in Punjab, you own at least 5 male calves, you have an active mobile SIM registered in your own name, and you hold a valid CNIC that has not expired. The headline range is 5 to 20 animals.

• Residence: you must be a resident of Punjab.
• Animals: at least 5 male animals. The Urdu notice names katray and bachhray, male buffalo and cattle calves.
• SIM: an active mobile number registered to the applicant, not to a son or a neighbour.
• CNIC: a valid card with time left before expiry.

Reports differ on the animals. Some press coverage of the launch said goats and lambs count too. The department's own notice says male calves, and we would go by that. The earlier-phase page also asks for a clean credit history with no default on any government loan scheme, and there is no reason to think that check has gone away.

How to get ready for the next Livestock Card season

Fix the paperwork now, so you can apply in the first days when a season opens. Check that your SIM is in your name, renew your CNIC if it is close to expiry, count your male calves, and keep the helpline number and the real portal address saved.

1. Check the SIM. Send your CNIC number to 668 to see how many SIMs are registered to you, and make sure the one you use is in your own name.
2. Check the CNIC date. If it expires soon, renew it at NADRA first. An expired card fails the check.
3. Count your animals. You need at least 5 male calves on the day you apply, and the department verifies them.
4. Clear old loans. Any default on a government loan scheme can block you under the earlier rules.
5. Watch plc.punjab.gov.pk and livestock.punjab.gov.pk, or call 0800-09211, for the next opening.

A few of these take weeks, not days. The SIMs registered on your CNIC can be checked in a minute, but moving a number into your name means a franchise visit. And if your card is old, the CNIC renewal has to be done before anything else.

The four ways to apply when a season opens

For Phase 3 the department listed four routes: the online portal plc.punjab.gov.pk, a QR code on its notice, a facilitation desk at your nearest government veterinary hospital, and the helpline 08000-9211. The old SMS to 8070 appears only on the earlier-phase page.

The veterinary hospital desk is the best option if you are not sure about the online form. Staff there see these forms every day, and they can tell you on the spot whether your animals meet the count.

About the 8070 code: the Punjab portal's scheme page still says to send "PLC", a space and your CNIC to 8070. The Phase 3 notice does not mention SMS at all. We did not send a test message, because it would register an application in our name. If you try it when a new season opens, confirm on the helpline that it still works.

Repayment and buying feed on the card

The Punjab government portal says the earlier loans ran for 4 months with a 1 month grace period. The Phase 3 notice does not repeat the repayment period, and Bank of Punjab has no public Livestock Card page that we could find, so confirm the terms before you sign.

Four months is short. It matches a fattening cycle: you buy feed, the calves gain weight, you sell, you repay. A farmer who plans to sell after Eid or after a slow market can run into trouble with that timing, so work out your sale date first.

At the dealer, the card works like a debit card at the counter, but only at registered dealers. It is the same logic as the Kisan Card at registered dealers for seed and fertiliser. The Livestock Card is a separate card from a separate department, and one does not replace the other.

If you farm crops as well, the other Punjab farmer schemes run on their own calendars. Applying for one does not block you from another.

Common questions

Can I apply for the Punjab Livestock Card now?

No. When we checked on 28 September 2026, plc.punjab.gov.pk said the current application season is closed. It gives no date for the next one.

How much can I get on the Livestock Card?

Up to Rs 540,000 interest free in Phase 3, according to the department's notice. Earlier phases paid Rs 135,000 to Rs 270,000.

How many animals do I need?

At least 5 male calves, and the scheme is aimed at farmers with 5 to 20. The department's notice names male buffalo and cattle calves.

Is there a fee to apply?

None of the official pages we read mention an application fee. Treat anyone asking for money to register you as a scam.

Does SMS to 8070 still work?

It is listed only for the earlier phases. The Phase 3 notice lists the portal, a QR code, veterinary hospital desks and the helpline instead.

How long do I have to repay?

The earlier phases gave 4 months plus a 1 month grace period. Phase 3 terms were not published on the pages we read, so ask the helpline.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We checked this on 28 September 2026. We read the application portal plc.punjab.gov.pk, which showed the closed-season notice and the helpline 0800-09211. We read the Livestock and Dairy Development Department's "CM livestock Card Phase 3" notice, dated 9 August 2026, on livestock.punjab.gov.pk, for the Rs 540,000 limit, the 15 July start, eligibility, application routes, the 25% cash facility and the feed rule. We read the scheme page on the Punjab government portal for the earlier Rs 135,000 to Rs 270,000 range, the 4 month term and the 8070 SMS code. The Phase 3 repayment period is not confirmed on any official page we could reach.