Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said that the state is fully ready to adopt crop diversification but the Central Government must provide an assured mechanism to give remunerative prices for these crops.
“The Centre must take this step for ensuring that the state’s farmers shift from water guzzling crops to less water consuming crops,” said the Chief Minister while addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Kisan Mela at Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, and Pashu Palan Mela at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.
The Chief Minister said that instead of paddy, the state’s farmer is ready to sow sunflower, maize, and pulses. “But for that, they must get an adequate and assured price. This will help in checking the depleting water table in the State on one hand and making agriculture a profitable venture on the other,” said Mann adding that this is the need of hour to avert water crisis in the state.
He said that the state’s farmers are really worried about the depleting water table and environment pollution due to paddy straw burning. However, they are not able to come out of rut of wheat-paddy cycle as they don’t want to lose assured price mechanism associated with it, pointed Mann while adding that Punjab is blessed with fertile land where anything can germinate but efforts must be made to save this fertile land and its water.
However, Mann said that the crisis of water can never be ignored as we are pumping out water at the same depth in which Gulf countries are taking oil, which is alarming for us. “Rice is not our staple food but for producing one kilogram of rice we are using 4,000 litres of water due to which we have to adopt alternative crops,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that the Centre imports pulses worth Rs 120 billion dollar annually from other countries whereas it is not ready to provide Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the state’s farmers who are ready to cultivate it. “In coming days, an important decision will be taken to get rid of the menace of paddy straw burning. It is the duty of the Union Government to find a solution for it as farmers produce rice for the country,” he added.
“Paddy goes into the national food kitty, but the Centre asks states to tighten noose around farmers to prevent paddy straw burning,” he said while asking the experts of PAU to reach out to the farmers to acquaint them with new technology in the agriculture sector. Mann said that the farmers work hard in fields and have no time for upgrading their expertise, adding that experts must reach out to the farmers to make agriculture a profitable venture.
Mann also asked PAU to intensify research and bring a new revolution in agriculture through technical interventions. He said that to promote dairy, the Punjab Government is promoting Verka, which is renowned globally, to supplement income of farmers. Mann also said that thrust is also being laid on proper marketing of Pathankot’s Litchi and Kinnow of Abohar.
