DW BUREAU / Chandigarh/ New Delhi

Punjab's Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Thursday urged the Central government to provide a cash incentive of Rs 17,500 per hectare to farmers opting for crop diversification in place of paddy during the kharif season.

Khudian said the Centre in its letter dated June 10, 2024, rolled out the revised guidelines for crop diversification programme for paddy replacement that mentioned to pay cash incentive of Rs 17,500 per hectare (up to five hectares per farmer) to farmers who go for alternative crops like maize, cotton, etc., during the kharif season. In continuation, the government of India further issued two letters in November and December last year, but remained silent on financial support, leaving farmers in uncertainty, he said.

The Punjab Agriculture Minister was here to participate in the National Conference on Agriculture -- Kharif Campaign -- 2025 held at PUSA Complex.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Chauhan inaugurated the conference. Khudian said the state government has already requested the Union government to support and collaborate by providing incentives on per per-acre basis in lieu of the additional cost to be incurred on management of paddy stubble and thus to tackle the menace of stubble burning and air pollution.

He reiterated that the state government is also ready to contribute to this initiative. Demanding a consistent and continuous supply of fertilisers, he said the state contributes about 21 per cent paddy and 46 per cent wheat to the central pool, and this has happened due continuous supply of the desired quantity of fertilisers.

He said during the rabi season, the shortage of phosphatic fertilisers generally occurs, so it is required that a continuous supply of fertilisers in the kharif season for pre-positioning should be maintained.

Khudian also appealed to the Central government for the continuation of wheat seed subsidy, which is essential for ensuring food security for the growing population.

He said as per the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) estimates, the nation would have a requirement of 345 million metric tons of food grains, which at present is 298.82 metric tons.

To meet this requirement, the country should increase the area under production of these crops.

According to the ICAR, there is a need to replace 33 per cent of wheat seeds every year, which requires approximately Rs 20 crore. However, the Union government has discontinued the subsidy on wheat seeds under the NFSM and RKVY schemes.

(editor@dailyworld.in)