Punjab News: The Punjab government has launched a scheme to provide 50 percent subsidy on certified seeds to provide relief to farmers in the Rabi season and increase wheat production. Under this scheme, till now more than 2.07 lakh quintals of certified wheat seeds have been distributed to the farmers in the state. The government aims to distribute a total of 2,42,218 quintals of seeds. This scheme is expected to benefit more than 2.42 lakh farmers of the state.
Relief to farmers from Rs 50 crore scheme
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian said that the state government has made an assistance scheme of Rs 50 crore for providing certified wheat seeds. Under this, certified seeds recommended by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) are being made available to the farmers at half the price.
The price of certified wheat seeds under the scheme is Rs 4,250 per quintal, but after getting the subsidy, farmers will have to pay Rs 2,250 per quintal for it. However, the subsidy limit has been fixed at 50 percent of the seed price or Rs 2,000 per hectare, whichever is lower. Its objective is to reduce the cost of farming to the farmers and to provide them good quality seeds.
More than 2.18 lakh farmers registered
The minister said that so far more than 2.18 lakh farmers have registered to avail the benefits of this scheme. Sri Muktsar Sahib district ranks first with 19,110 registrations. After this, 18,369 farmers have registered in Fazilka, 16,832 in Bathinda, 16,022 in Sangrur and 12,982 farmers in Patiala.
The Minister also reviewed the scheme through video conference with all the Chief Agriculture Officers. He instructed the officials that the process of seed distribution should be kept easy and no eligible farmer should be deprived of government assistance.
Government's emphasis on good yield and better seeds
The main objective of this scheme of the government is to provide seeds of such wheat varieties to the farmers, which can give good yield and reduce the risk of diseases in the crop. For this, subsidy is being given only on certified varieties recommended by PAU and recognized by ICAR or Punjab Government. The seed variety should not be more than 10 years old.
Instructions also given on availability of fertilizer
During the review meeting, the Minister also inquired about the availability of DAP, Urea and other essential fertilizers in the state. Agriculture Department Director Gurjit Brar said that the total requirement of DAP in Punjab is 5.50 lakh metric tonnes, while 5.87 lakh metric tonnes of fertilizer is available in the state.
The minister instructed the officials to continuously monitor the supply of fertilizer. He said that farmers should not face problems like shortage of fertilizers, black marketing and forced tagging. It is the responsibility of the department to provide necessary agricultural materials to the farmers on time during sowing in Rabi season. The government's effort is to ensure that farmers get good quality seeds and fertilizers, so that their farming costs are reduced and it helps in increasing their income.