Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal today reiterated his government’s firm commitment to put the state on fast track of Agriculture persification in order to achieve twin objective of restoring soil’s fertility and checking the depletion of water table on one hand and strengthening the agrarian economy on the other.
Winding up the intensive discussions after two days meeting with central team of Agriculture experts and progressive farmers here today, the Chief Minister said that these fruitful deliberations had helped the state government to prepare a roadmap for the implementation of Agriculture persification plan in a phased manner. Mr Badal said the over exploitation of its natural resources i.e. micro nutrients of soil and ground water had sounded alarming bells for the state government towards second push to ‘Green Revolution’ which was the need of the hour. He announced in the meeting that the state government would submit comprehensive proposals in this behalf to the Union Ministry of Agriculture positively by April 30th.The Chief Minister revealed that the state government has chalked out a strategy to reduce major area of state under paddy cultivation to alternate crops with a view to shift from supply driven to demand driven agriculture. It was purposed to shift this area to Maize (5.5 lakh hectare), Cotton (seven lakh hectare), Sugarcane (2.6 lakh hectare), Guar (0.3 lakh hectare), Fodder (5.5 lakh hectare), Arhar (0.6 lakh hectare). Moong bean (0.6 lakh hectare), Kinnow (0.8 lakh hectare), Guava and Pear (0.2 lakh hectare), Agro Forestry (three lakh hectare), Groundnut (0.2 lakh hectare) and Vegetable (0.5 lakh hectare), he added. Mr Badal said that the persification plan would be instrumental in ensuring long term sustainability and improving farm incomes.
Listing out the initiatives to promote persification, the Chief Minister said that APMC Act 1961 was being amended to provide direct marketing and setting up of private markets. He said that new Contract farming act has been enacted and notification has been issued to regulate the contracts and make mutual obligations enforceable. To incentivize the cultivation of Basmati, infra structure cess on it had been abolished to give boost to its export. The state government was seriously contemplating to review the tax structure on marketing of alternate crops by lowering them considerably to ensure a level playing field to all the stakeholders. Effective steps were afoot to incentivize the cultivation of Maize, Cotton, Sugarcane, Fruits and vegetables through ensuring subsidized supply of hybrid seeds, weedicides etc., capital assistance at the rate of 50% for purchase of Maize planters and harvesters, cotton pickers, strengthening of infra structure in designated markets, timely availability of quality seeds through MoU with BT hybrid seeds manufacturing companies, establishment of Tissue culture labs in sugar mills, supply of quality planting material propagated through tissue culture besides setting up of four modern wood timber markets in Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, Balachaur and Ludhiana to promote Agro Forestry in a big way. Likewise a network of Centers was being established for aggregation of Horticultural produce with facilities like washing, cooling and packaging to provide forward linkage with the organized retail market.
The Chief Minister said that the entire exercise of agriculture persification would be futile if these efforts were not supplemented by giving a much needed push to the Food Processing Industry in the state because farmers could not get the remunerative returns of their produce without its proper value addition adding that the same could be done by the Processing units. He also emphasized the need to place in a mechanism of assured marketing support by way of giving MSP on alternate crops especially the Maize which has a tremendous scope for human consumption as well as for cattle feed and fodder. Appreciating the hard working and resilient Punjabi farmer for always welcoming new technology and crops, Mr Badal said he was confident that they would never say no to the alternate crops provided guaranteed with assured MSP on the pattern of wheat and Paddy.
Outlining the paramount significance of Livestock sector in the persification of agriculture, the Chief Minister said that the state government has made concerted efforts for the promotion of using imported and sexed semen for the production of high yielding female cow calves besides giving capital assistance of 50% for establishment of Dairy machinery service centers for the purchase of silage making machinery. Likewise he said that Research for developing high yielding fodder varieties at PAU was being carried out to ensure its quality supply to the cattle. Likewise Mr Badal said that two Dairy Training and extension centers had been set up to impart training to the Dairy farmers.
The Chief Minister pleaded that the Ministry of Agriculture must compensate the state government for abolition of 3% Infra Structure cess on Basmati by giving Rs 100 crore per year to ensure the maintenance of Mandis across the state adding he said that this grant was all the more important for the state as Punjab had one of the most modern and efficient marketing infra structure to facilitate the farmers for marketing their produce. Mr Badal also impressed upon the Central team to guide the concerned officers in the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry departments of the state for seeking more funds under various centrally sponsored schemes besides Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna, National Horticulture Mission and National Animal Welfare Board.
Earlier responding to the issues relating to Food Processing, Joint Secretary Ministry of Food Processing Government of India (GoI) Mrs Anuradha Prasad asked the state government to send a detailed proposal for seeking National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) in the border area of the state under its flagship program of capacity building for imparting training to the youth so that they could be gainfully employed. She also apprised the Chief Minister that the Ministry had sufficient funds for establishment of Integrated Cold Chain Projects under Farm to Consumer scheme, Food Testing Laboratories and Cold Storages for Horticulture and Non Horticulture products. Mrs Prasad said that the Ministry had already allocated a Mega Food Park in Ferozepur District and if the state still needed more such parks it could send fresh proposals to the Ministry.
Taking part in deliberations Joint Secretary Ministry of Agriculture GoI Mr Mukesh Khullar assured the Chief Minister that the Ministry would fully support of the state government’s ambitious program for Crop persification adding that they would examine the entire proposals before forwarding it to the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Agriculture persification for final decision. He said Punjab government was likely to get Rs 200 crore out of the total Rs 500 crore packages for Agriculture persification allotted to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the Union budget 2013-14. Mr Khullar urged the Financial Commissioner Development (FCD) Mr Suresh Kumar and Financial Commissioner Animal Husbandry Mr G Vajralingam to fix up the priorities for spending this amount to achieve broad objective of persification.
Interacting with the officers of the state government the Agricultural Commissioner GoI, Dr JS Sandhu termed the crop persification program as a visionary step taken by the state government under the stewardship of Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal. He said that the state government should adopt latest mechanized operations in the farming and resort to drip irrigation especially for cultivation of vegetables besides ensuring marketing facilities to the farmers to sell their produce in a hassle free manner to ensure economic stability.
Speaking on the occasion Commissioner Animal Husbandry GoI, Dr AS Nanda assured the Chief Minister that the Ministry had already agreed to the majority of its proposals like extending the facility of insurance from two to five cattle per family besides reviewing the fat content in cow’s milk 4.8 to 3.5. He also asked the Vice Chancellors of PAU and GADVASU to submit detailed proposals for seeking funds for strengthening Research and Development (R&D) base in both the premier intuitions so that these could be included in the Finance Minister’s next budget speech. Dr Nanda also announced to set a Quarantine Station at Attari-Wagah Border over an area of five to seven acres of land to be provided by the state government. He also suggested the state government to create a Corpus fund for the insurance of Milch cattle and small ruminants like Goat, Sheep and Pigs adding that the Ministry would also review the state government’s proposal in this behalf for contributing its share in the said corpus.
Deliberating on the issue of Maize development and its promotion in Punjab, Project Director Directorate of Maize Research New Delhi Dr OP Yadav said that Maize crop had bright prospects in the state and would prove to be a milestone in shifting traditional Paddy as a viable alternative. In his address Executive Director National Dairy Development Board Chaudhary Sangram Singh urged the Chief Minister to constitute an expert committee to check the spread of contagious and infectious diseases amongst the animals. Positively responding to the proposals putforth by the Chief Minister for setting up a state of the art Semen Station for providing quality semen to the farmers at Tarn Taran, Dr Chaudhary said that he would soon take up the matter with the ministry.
In his address Chairman State Farmer’s Commission Dr GS Kalkat asked the Centre to provide adequate technical and financial support to the farmers for the cultivation of oilseeds and Pulses as GoI had imported oil worth Rs 56000 crore and pulses worth Rs 10000 crore last year. “GoI should sincerely make efforts to bail out Punjab farmer from current agrarian crisis and encourage persification by ensuring remunerative price to them for these crops” he added. Dr Kalkat also envisioned Punjab as a largest producer of Soyabean and Mustard provided the Centre ensured adequate marketing network coupled with processing facilities for them.
In his address Vice Chancellor PAU, Dr BS Dhillon said that inspite of huge grant by the state government the research activities of the university were constrained because of expenditure on salaries and pensions. Keeping in view its enormous contribution and the Punjab state in the national food security and the current challenges being faced, the state’s premier agriculture institution needed liberal support from GoI. Likewise VC GADVASU Dr VK Taneja also demanded generous grant for university to undertake R&D activities in a result oriented manner besides contributing towards the promotion of livestock sector.
Chairman of Punjab Agriculture Marketing Board Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said that crop persification was a welcome step but at the same time centre must instill a sense of security amongst farmers by announcing MSP on all the alternate crops well in advance prior to motivating them to shift to these crops. He said that since there was huge gap in Basmati exports across the globe it was a high time to encourage the state farmer’s to go for its cultivation in a big way as they could fetch handsome returns from Basmati export. Similarly the Centre should also announce a remunerative MSP for Basmati as it was in high demand in the domestic market thereby improving the economic lot of Punjab peasantry.
In his address Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) President Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal said that Punjabi farmer was solely blamed for blatant misuse of water whereas its reckless consumption in the household and industrial sector was unnoticed. He however said that conscience efforts should be made to check the wastage of water and people should be sensitized to make judicious use of water-one of the most precious and scarce natural resources gifted by God. Mr Rajewal urged the Chief Minister to strictly enforce the Rain Water harvesting in urban besides constructing small Check dams and Water Recharge wells across the state to check the depleting water table.
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Cabinet Ministers Mr Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Mr Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Mr Gulzar Singh Ranike, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr GS Babbehali and Babu Parkash Chand Garg, Chairman Punjab State Farmer’s Commission Dr GS Kalkat, Chief Secretary Mr Rakesh Singh, FCD Mr Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Financial Commissioner Co-operation Mr SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr Gaggandip Singh Brar, Financial Commissioner Animal Husbandry Mr G Vajralingam, Advisor to FCD Dr Balwinder Singh Sidhu, Director Agriculture Dr Mangal Singh Sandhu, Chairman Punjab State Agriculture Marketing Board Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, BKU President Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, VC PAU Dr BS Dhillon, VC GADVASU Dr VK Taneja besides senior officers of the state government.
The Central team was represented by Project Director Directorate of Maize Research New Delhi Dr OP Yadav, Project Director Directorate of Cattle Meerut Dr A Sharma, Commissioner Animal Husbandry GoI Dr AS Nanda, Agricultural Commissioner Dr JS Sandhu, Joint Secretary Food Processing Mrs Anuradha Prasad, Head CSWCRTI Research centre Chandigarh Dr AK Tiwari, Consultant Agronomy Satyaveer Singh and Director NRC Agro Forestry Jhansi Dr SK Dhyaani.