Seemingly in election mode, Punjab Government is now mulling to relieve the farming community of their financial stress by improving institutional credit facilities for them. The Government is drafting the Debt Reconciliation Act to institutionalise debts of the farmers.
Informing about the new legislation, Punjab Agriculture Minister Tota Singh on Wednesday said that the draft bill will be ready in a few days and it will be introduced in the Assembly in the coming budget session.
He also informed that Government is pondering over one time waiver for the farmers. Although for such a step, Government will require a green signal from the Centre.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Tota Singh favoring implementation of recommendation of the M S Swaminathan Commission, asked the centre to ensure profitable prices for farmers.
Accompanying Tota Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Suresh Kumar said that institutional finance promotion committees had already been constituted in the State. These committees would ensure institutional loans for farmers to pay their debts of the unorganised sector. He said that Punjab needed to accelerate its pace in the direction of diversification of crops and for achieving diversification goals, all the 22 crops which are scheduled in the Government list are required to be procured from central pool.
He said that Minimum Support Price for all the 22 crops might inspire farmers for taking up diversification more seriously. He said that Punjab Government had taken a target of bringing 15 lac hectare land out of the paddy cultivation in the next five years.
Divulging details about dues of the farmers on Government, Suresh Kumar said that 124 crores of sugarcane growers is pending on the sugar mills for which the arrangement of loans have been made and the dues were expected to be cleared in next 3-4 days. On dues of Paddy growers, He said that the surplus production of paddy has forced this situation when around 800 crores payments of farmers is due.
He said that Punjab is taking up the matter as procurement by Government agencies surpassed the earlier estimates, thus, the remaining payment is going to take around 3-4 months as this period is required to follow procedure of getting grants from centre.
Informing about the amendments in the Fertilizers Control Order and Insecticides Control Order and seed control order, he said that now onwards fertilizers and insecticides licences will be granted to only qualified graduates in agriculture sciences.
The department will be able to test samples of seeds on its own and two laboratory would be set up in the state to conduct tests. He said, “State Department of Agriculture has decided to review all previous licenses to weed out undeserving licensees and around 6000 licenses would be granted again.”
He said that during the last 9 months of 2015-16, the Directorate of Agriculture has taken 2204 samples of fertilizers of which 116 samples have failed. likewise, 3562 samples of agro chemicals were also taken of which 143 samples have failed. Further, legal action with regard to failed samples had continued with launching of prosecution and penalties on the dealers. 98 licences have been cancelled and FIRs have been registered against 33 dealers.
