Punjab farmers have availed the highest rate of subsidy in the north India, in comparison to neighbouring States like Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, State Agriculture Minister Tota Singh said on Tuesday.
He said over five lakh quintal seeds of wheat have been distributed to the farmers across the State through various agencies like National Seed Corporation, Punseed, Punjab Agriculture University, IFCO, Kribhco, Punjab Agro and other allied agencies as per the requirement of the farmers.
“Punjab Government has been committed to providing seeds of progressive varieties of Wheat HD 2967, PVW 550, and PVW 621 to the farmers at a subsidy of Rs700 per quintal, which is the highest rate of subsidy to be provided in comparison to neighbouring States,” he said.
Singh said that the certified wheat seeds offered costs Rs1,625 per quintal to the State farmers. “The seeds offered are of the highest quality and are expected to have a high yielding capacity and are compatible with the Punjab soil,” he added.
A susidy of Rs32 crore was allocated for wheat seed distribution and the same has been achieved in a transparent manner, he said adding that over 2.5 lakh farmers have availed the subsidy and benefited from the Government scheme in Punjab.
He added, “In addition to subsidies and loans being provided to the farmers, additional services are being provided such as counseling helplines, training programs and awareness camps where farmers can educate themselves of new and emerging farming techniques and methods for production and pest control.”