The campaign to promote crop diversification in the state launched by the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government got a major push after the state has witnessed at least 16 per cent increase in the area under the Basmati cultivation this Kharif season, said Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian here on Friday, while adding that district Amritsar tops the chart with 1.35 lac hectares area sown under this long-grain rice.
The Agriculture Minister, in a press communiqué issued here, informed that during this Kharif Season, the Basmati has been sown at 5.74 Lac hectares till August 14, out of the total paddy area of 31.88 Lac Hectares. “During the Kharif Season 2022-23, total area sown under Paddy was 31.68 Lac Hectares, out of which area under Basmati was 4.95 Lac Hectares,” he added.
Listing district wise figures of Basmati cultivation, S. Khudian said that Amritsar, followed by Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka and Tarn Taran registered maximum cultivation of Basmati in 90,000 Hectares, 78,800 Hectares and 52,000 Hectares respectively.
He further added that Amritsar district registered an increase of 24,000 Hectares in area under Basmati cultivation whereas 21,500 Hectares and 18000 Hectares increase has been witnessed in Sri Muktsar Sahib and Gurdaspur districts respectively.
Reiterating the commitment of CM S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government to make a agriculture profitable venture, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that this surge has been witnessed in Basmati cultivation as CM Mann had assured farmers that the state government will make every effort to ensure that they do not suffer any sort of loss in cultivation of Basmati.