By Punjabnewswire4u
CHANDIGARH, APRIL 21
Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal today reiterated his government’s
firm commitment to put the state on fast track of Agriculture diversification
in order to achieve twin objective of restoring soil’s fertility and checking
the depletion of water table on one hand and strengthening the agrarian economy
on the other.
Winding up the intensive discussions after two days meeting with central team
of Agriculture experts and progressive farmers here today, the Chief Minister
said that these fruitful deliberations had helped the state government to
prepare a roadmap for the implementation of Agriculture Diversification plan in
a phased manner. Mr Badal said the over exploitation of its natural resources
i.e. micro nutrients of soil and ground water had sounded alarming bells for
the state government towards second push to ‘Green Revolution’ which was the
need of the hour. He announced in the meeting that the state government would
submit comprehensive proposals in this behalf to the Union Ministry of
Agriculture positively by April 30th.
The Chief Minister revealed that the state government has chalked out a strategy to reduce major area of state
under paddy cultivation to alternate crops
with a view to shift from supply driven to demand driven agriculture. It was
purposed to shift this area to Maize (5.5 lakh hectare), Cotton (seven lakh hectare), Sugarcane (2.6
lakh hectare), Guar (0.3 lakh hectare), Fodder
(5.5 lakh hectare), Arhar (0.6 lakh hectare). Moong bean (0.6 lakh hectare),
Kinnow (0.8 lakh hectare), Guava and Pear (0.2 lakh hectare), Agro Forestry
(three lakh hectare), Groundnut (0.2 lakh hectare) and Vegetable (0.5 lakh
hectare), he added. Mr Badal said that the Diversification plan would be
instrumental in ensuring long term sustainability and improving farm incomes.
Listing out the initiatives to promote diversification, the Chief Minister said
that APMC Act 1961 was being amended to provide direct marketing and setting up
of private markets. He said that new Contract farming act has been enacted and
notification has been issued to regulate the contracts and make mutual
obligations enforceable. To incentivize the cultivation of Basmati, infra
structure cess on it had been abolished to give boost to its export. The state
government was seriously contemplating to review the tax structure on marketing
of alternate crops by lowering them considerably to ensure a level playing
field to all the stakeholders. Effective steps were afoot to incentivize the
cultivation of Maize, Cotton, Sugarcane, Fruits and vegetables through
ensuring subsidized supply of hybrid seeds, weedicides etc., capital
assistance at the rate of 50% for purchase of Maize planters and harvesters,
cotton pickers, strengthening of infra structure in designated markets, timely
availability of quality seeds through MoU with BT hybrid seeds manufacturing
companies, establishment of Tissue culture labs in sugar mills, supply of
quality planting material propagated through tissue culture besides setting up
of four modern wood timber markets in Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, Balachaur and
Ludhiana to promote Agro Forestry in a big way. Likewise a network of Centers
was being established for aggregation of Horticultural produce with facilities
like washing, cooling and packaging to provide forward linkage with the organized
retail market.
The Chief
Minister said that the entire exercise of agriculture diversification would be
futile if these efforts were not supplemented by giving a much needed push to
the Food Processing Industry in the state because farmers could not get the
remunerative returns of their produce without its proper value addition adding
that the same could be done by the Processing units. He also emphasized the
need to place in a mechanism of assured marketing support by way of giving MSP
on alternate crops especially the Maize which has a tremendous scope for human
consumption as well as for cattle feed and fodder. Appreciating the hard
working and resilient Punjabi farmer for always welcoming new technology and
crops, Mr Badal said he was confident that they would never say no to the
alternate crops provided guaranteed with assured MSP on the pattern of wheat
and Paddy.
Outlining the
paramount significance of Livestock sector in the diversification of
agriculture, the Chief Minister said that the state government has made
concerted efforts for the promotion of using imported and sexed semen for the
production of high yielding female cow calves besides giving capital assistance
of 50% for establishment of Dairy machinery service centers for the purchase of
silage making machinery. Likewise he said that Research for developing high
yielding fodder varieties at PAU was being carried out to ensure its quality
supply to the cattle. Likewise Mr Badal said that two Dairy Training and
extension centers had been set up to impart training to the Dairy farmers.
The Chief
Minister pleaded that the Ministry of Agriculture must compensate the state
government for abolition of 3% Infra Structure cess on Basmati by giving Rs 100
crore per year to ensure the maintenance of Mandis across the state adding he
said that this grant was all the more important for the state as Punjab had one
of the most modern and efficient marketing infra structure to facilitate the
farmers for marketing their produce. Mr Badal also impressed upon the Central
team to guide the concerned officers in the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry
departments of the state for seeking more funds under various centrally
sponsored schemes besides Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna, National Horticulture
Mission and National Animal Welfare Board.
Earlier
responding to the issues relating to Food Processing, Joint Secretary Ministry
of Food Processing Government of India (GoI) Mrs Anuradha Prasad asked the
state government to send a detailed proposal for seeking National Institute of
Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) in the border area of
the state under its flagship program of capacity building for imparting
training to the youth so that they could be gainfully employed. She also
apprised the Chief Minister that the Ministry had sufficient funds for
establishment of Integrated Cold Chain Projects under Farm to Consumer scheme,
Food Testing Laboratories and Cold Storages for Horticulture and Non
Horticulture products. Mrs Prasad said that the Ministry had already allocated
a Mega Food Park in Ferozepur District and if the state still needed more such
parks it could send fresh proposals to the Ministry.
Taking part in
deliberations Joint Secretary Ministry of Agriculture GoI Mr Mukesh Khullar assured
the Chief Minister that the Ministry would fully support of the state
government’s ambitious program for Crop diversification adding that they would
examine the entire proposals before forwarding it to the Group of Ministers
(GoM) on Agriculture Diversification for final decision. He said Punjab
government was likely to get Rs 200 crore out of the total Rs 500 crore
packages for Agriculture diversification allotted to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh in the Union budget 2013-14. Mr Khullar urged the Financial
Commissioner Development (FCD) Mr Suresh Kumar and Financial Commissioner
Animal Husbandry Mr G Vajralingam to fix up the priorities for spending this
amount to achieve broad objective of diversification.
Interacting with
the officers of the state government the Agricultural Commissioner GoI, Dr JS
Sandhu termed the crop diversification program as a visionary step taken by the
state government under the stewardship of Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh
Badal. He said that the state government should adopt latest mechanized
operations in the farming and resort to drip irrigation especially for
cultivation of vegetables besides ensuring marketing facilities to the farmers
to sell their produce in a hassle free manner to ensure economic stability.
Speaking on the
occasion Commissioner Animal Husbandry GoI, Dr AS Nanda assured the Chief
Minister that the Ministry had already agreed to the majority of its proposals
like extending the facility of insurance from two to five cattle per family
besides reviewing the fat content in cow’s milk 4.8 to 3.5. He also asked the
Vice Chancellors of PAU and GADVASU to submit detailed proposals for seeking
funds for strengthening Research and Development (R&D) base in both the
premier intuitions so that these could be included in the Finance Minister’s
next budget speech. Dr Nanda also announced to set a Quarantine Station at
Attari-Wagah Border over an area of five to seven acres of land to be provided
by the state government. He also suggested the state government to create a
Corpus fund for the insurance of Milch cattle and small ruminants like Goat,
Sheep and Pigs adding that the Ministry would also review the state
government’s proposal in this behalf for contributing its share in the said
corpus.
Deliberating on
the issue of Maize development and its promotion in Punjab, Project Director
Directorate of Maize Research New Delhi Dr OP Yadav said that Maize crop had
bright prospects in the state and would prove to be a milestone in shifting
traditional Paddy as a viable alternative. In his address Executive Director
National Dairy Development Board Chaudhary Sangram Singh urged the Chief
Minister to constitute an expert committee to check the spread of contagious
and infectious diseases amongst the animals. Positively responding to the
proposals putforth by the Chief Minister for setting up a state of the art
Semen Station for providing quality semen to the farmers at Tarn Taran, Dr
Chaudhary said that he would soon take up the matter with the ministry.
In his address
Chairman State Farmer’s Commission Dr GS Kalkat asked the Centre to provide
adequate technical and financial support to the farmers for the cultivation of
oilseeds and Pulses as GoI had imported oil worth Rs 56000 crore and pulses
worth Rs 10000 crore last year. “GoI should sincerely make efforts to bail out
Punjab farmer from current agrarian crisis and encourage diversification by
ensuring remunerative price to them for these crops” he added. Dr Kalkat also
envisioned Punjab as a largest producer of Soyabean and Mustard provided the
Centre ensured adequate marketing network coupled with processing facilities
for them.
In his address
Vice Chancellor PAU, Dr BS Dhillon said that inspite of huge grant by the state
government the research activities of the university were constrained because
of expenditure on salaries and pensions. Keeping in view its enormous
contribution and the Punjab state in the national food security and the current
challenges being faced, the state’s premier agriculture institution needed
liberal support from GoI. Likewise VC GADVASU Dr VK Taneja also demanded
generous grant for university to undertake R&D activities in a result
oriented manner besides contributing towards the promotion of livestock sector.
Chairman of
Punjab Agriculture Marketing Board Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said that crop
diversification was a welcome step but at the same time centre must instill a
sense of security amongst farmers by announcing MSP on all the alternate crops
well in advance prior to motivating them to shift to these crops. He said that
since there was huge gap in Basmati exports across the globe it was a high time
to encourage the state farmer’s to go for its cultivation in a big way as they
could fetch handsome returns from Basmati export. Similarly the Centre should
also announce a remunerative MSP for Basmati as it was in high demand in the
domestic market thereby improving the economic lot of Punjab peasantry.
In his address
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) President Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal said that
Punjabi farmer was solely blamed for blatant misuse of water whereas its
reckless consumption in the household and industrial sector was unnoticed. He
however said that conscience efforts should be made to check the wastage of
water and people should be sensitized to make judicious use of water-one of the
most precious and scarce natural resources gifted by God. Mr Rajewal urged the
Chief Minister to strictly enforce the Rain Water harvesting in urban besides
constructing small Check dams and Water Recharge wells across the state to
check the depleting water table.
Prominent amongst
those present on the occasion included Cabinet Ministers Mr Adesh Partap Singh
Kairon, Mr Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Mr Gulzar Singh Ranike, Chief
Parliamentary Secretary Mr GS Babbehali and Babu Parkash Chand Garg, Chairman
Punjab State Farmer’s Commission Dr GS Kalkat, Chief Secretary Mr Rakesh Singh,
FCD Mr Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Financial
Commissioner Co-operation Mr SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretary to Chief
Minister Mr Gaggandip Singh Brar, Financial Commissioner Animal Husbandry Mr G
Vajralingam, Advisor to FCD Dr Balwinder Singh Sidhu, Director Agriculture Dr
Mangal Singh Sandhu, Chairman Punjab State Agriculture Marketing Board Mr Ajmer
Singh Lakhowal, BKU President Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, VC PAU Dr BS Dhillon, VC
GADVASU Dr VK Taneja besides senior officers of the state government.
The Central team
was represented by Project Director Directorate of Maize Research New Delhi Dr
OP Yadav, Project Director Directorate of Cattle Meerut Dr A Sharma,
Commissioner Animal Husbandry GoI Dr AS Nanda, Agricultural Commissioner Dr JS
Sandhu, Joint Secretary Food Processing Mrs Anuradha Prasad, Head CSWCRTI Research
centre Chandigarh Dr AK Tiwari, Consultant Agronomy Satyaveer Singh and
Director NRC Agro Forestry Jhansi Dr SK Dhyaani.
No comments:
Post a Comment