DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

To further give impetus to crop diversification in the state, Punjab Government is all set to appoint 200 Kisan Mitras (Friends of the Farmer) to encourage farmers to shift from paddy to kharif maize, with a target to cover three lakh acres under maize this season, announced S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Punjab.

Khudian, along with the department's Administrative Secretary Dr. Basant Garg, reviewed the preparedness for the kharif sowing season at Kisan Bhawan. He directed the Chief Agriculture Officers (CAOs) to lay a special focus on Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Sangrur, Kapurthala, Patiala, Jalandhar and Bathinda districts for bringing maximum area under kharif maize by launching a massive outreach campaign in the state. To promote sustainable agriculture practices, the Agriculture Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian directed Chief Agriculture Officers to promote Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) technique among farmers to conserve underground water. He also stressed the need to intensify quality control measures to ensure farmers have access to high-quality agricultural inputs, enabling them to optimise crop yield.

Dr. Basant Garg, Administrative Secretary, apprised the Agriculture Minister that the department has set ambitious targets for quality control, aiming to collect 4,550 pesticide samples, 6,100 seed samples and 5,200 fertiliser samples during the current fiscal year. This proactive approach underscores the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led government's commitment to ensuring farmers' access to authentic and quality agricultural inputs.

Director Agriculture Jaswant Singh and other senior officials of the department were also present in the meeting.

(editor@dailyworld.in)