In a bid to provide quality and latest technical assistance to the farmers regarding agriculture at their doorsteps, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave nod to revive the ‘Farmers Service Centers’ in the state.A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister during a meeting here at Punjab Bhawan this morning. During the meeting the Chief Minister said that in the current scenario when the returns from the agriculture were diminishing with every passing day, the need of the hour was to strengthen the agriculture extension services by roping in the services of best experts in this field. He said that with the revival of these centers of the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) a dedicated staff would be made available across the state to assist the farmers in acquainting them with latest technology of sowing, harvesting and preserving their products.
Likewise, Badal said that these centers would run surveillance and awareness campaigns to make the farmers aware about the threats to their crops and suggest remedial action to them. The Chief Minister said that in the present context the responsibility of bailing out the farmers of the state from the current agrarian crisis lies on the shoulders of PAU and state Agriculture Department. He said that both these organizations along with the Krishi Vigyan Kendras should channelize their all might to ensure that agriculture was made a profitable venture. Mr. Badal said that the state government was duty bound to safeguard the interests of the farming community and already massive efforts were afoot to reinforce the extension services of Agriculture department by recruiting talented young blood in it.
The Chief Minister hoped that these farm advisory bodies would go a long way in bailing out the farmers from the crisis besides safeguarding their interests. He asked the officers to ensure that the staff recruited in these bodies must work at grass root level to ensure that the farmers of the state were immensely benefitted from it. Mr. Badal said that these advisories bodies must also make the farmers aware of the high returns from allied farming sector like Dairy, fishery, piggery, apiary and others so that they could be motivated towards it. Prominent amongst other present in the meeting included Cabinet Minister Mr. Surjit Singh Rakhra, Additional Chief Secretary Mr. Suresh Kumar, Special Principal Secretaries to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar and Mr. KJS Cheema and Vice Chancellor PAU Dr. BS Dhillon.