After marathon discussions with various stack holders in the much needed agriculture persification program, the Punjab Government has finalized the proposals in this regard likely to be submitted to the Union Agriculture Ministry next week with an objective to shift major chunk of cultivable land from paddy to crops like maize, sugarcane, oilseeds, soyabean, pulses besides fruits and vegetables under crop persity program across the state.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s office informed that the Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today held a series of meetings with the progressive farmers, researchers and senior officers of various departments involved in this grand mission for the promotion of crop persification through boosting allied agricultural activities in the state.During a brain-storming a day-long session, the Chief Minister called upon the farmers to shift from paddy cultivation to other alternative crops to save the rapidly depleting ground water, for which state government was finalizing a comprehensive proposal for onward submission to the GoI, demanding subsidy of 50% on all the agriculture inputs like seed, pesticides and insecticides besides ensuring an effective infrastructure support in terms of machinery with 50% of subsidy and a proper marketing network for the farmers’ produce. In addition to this maize and fruit processing units must also be established with the support of GoI.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister also approved the proposal of Rs.198 crore for setting up of a Center of Excellence under Crop persification Program to carry out the research work by Punjab Agricultural University in a phased manner during a period of next five years. The Chief Minister gave approval to the proposal for establishing one litchi estate at Pathankot and one Pear estate at Amritsar at a cost of 3.8 crore each besides establishing sub-estate for litchi at Gurdaspur.
The Chief Minister also approved to constitute different boards/technical committees comprising representatives of technical experts, farmers and government officials for each crop considered for under persification plan.
Mr. Badal directed the Vice Chancellor of PAU to work out a time scheduled plan for each crop right from the availability of high yielding seeds to the post harvesting activities. He also mentioned that weather conditions today were changing tremendously, so PAU could also work out the feasibilities for setting up an independent Weather Prediction Center to facilitate the farmers to make use of weather related information and services for their effective agriculture activities.
Mr. Badal asked the farmers to cultivate Maize (June Varity) which was less water consuming instead of the winter season Maize which was being cultivated in the month of February and was highly water intensive. It was informed in the meeting that presently 1.5 lakh hectares area was under maize cultivation in the state as a part of persification program. The target was to bring 25000 hectare every year under the maize cultivation for the next five years so as to double the area under maize in the state.
Badal also informed that Punjab Marketing Board would set up 20 big dryers across the state at a cost of Rs.160 crore to facilitate the farmers in getting remunerative price of their produce. He also called upon the farmers to adopt water storage tank system for irrigation for which government was already providing subsidy. Regarding the technical and mechanized support to the farmers, Mr. Badal urged them to utilize the facilities available in the cooperative societies like agri-center, which were providing equipment support to all the farmers. The state government was committed to strengthen all the agri centers by providing all type of pre and post harvesting machinery at subsidized rates in these agri-centers, added Mr. Badal. The agri center would also extend any sort of mechanical support to any farmer on subsidy in case needed by him inpidually. Mr. Badal said that government had also planned to enhance the area under pulses cultivation in the state from 1000 hectare to 75000 hectare within next five years. The Punjab Government would also tie-up with the National Seed Cooperation to avail adequate and quality pulses seed for the farmers. He directed the agriculture department to work out the total consumption of pulses in various state government institutions and jails to rationalize the pulses consumption and supply system more effectively. Likewise, to enhance the existing area of one lakh hectare under sugarcane cultivation to three lakh hectare in next five years with similar infrastructure and marketing support, Mr. Badal said that six new Tissue Culture Labs would also be established across the state for boosting sugarcane cultivation.
Expressing a dire need to aware the farming community about the policies and programs of the state government under persification plan, Mr. Badal asked the agriculture department to strengthen its publicity network system. Likewise, he advised the Punjab Agricultural University to aware the farmers about their recommendations regarding the suitable verities of different crops well before the cultivation season through advertisements in leading newspapers so that farmers could avail maximum benefits of their recommendations in time.
Meanwhile Food & Civil Supplies Minister Mr. Adaish Partap Singh Kairon raised the issue of defective Weighing Scales, being run by private owners and causing a huge loss to the farmers and reiterated that the administration must take suitable action against them on the priority. Taking a serious note of superior’s supply of seeds and pesticides to the farmers, the Minister said that government would take strict action against all the erring traders under the provisions of Consumer Act.Regarding the cultivation of Soyabean, the Chairman Punjab Farmers Commission Dr. GS Kalkat opined that the state agriculture department must development suitable high yielding varieties of soyabean according to the climatic conditions of the state.
Prominent amongst those who attended the meeting included Chief Secretary Mr. Rakesh Singh, Financial Commissioner Development Mr. Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary Cooperation Mr. SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar, Vice Chancellor PAU Ludhiana Dr. BS Dhillon, Advisor Agriculture Dr. BS Sidhu, Director Agriculture Dr. MS Sandhu and Director Horticulture Dr. Lajwinder Singh besides other senior officers of various departments.