Punjab govt sets up panel to look at alternative crops to paddy
Describing crop diversification as a critical necessity for the state, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said that sowing of the paddy crop over the years has adversely affected the topography of the state in terms of excessive power consumption, depletion of the water table and pollution due to stubble burning.
Giving a clarion call for a paradigm shift in agriculture by adopting alternative crops like cotton, basmati and moong, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said he has set up a committee under the chief secretary to look at alternative crops to water-guzzling paddy.
Describing crop diversification as a critical necessity for the state, he said that sowing of the paddy crop over the years has adversely affected the topography of the state in terms of excessive power consumption, depletion of the water table and pollution due to stubble burning. “The need of the hour is to adopt alternative crops. The committee will meet farmers in different villages and see which crops consume less water and bring more income to farmers as a replacement for paddy. It will submit the report to me,” he said in a video message, pointing out that the government was taking steps to promote cotton, basmati, moong and pulses.
Mann said that from April 1, canal water will be made available for irrigating cotton up to the tail-end. “A 33% subsidy on cotton seeds certified by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will be given. Crop insurance will be introduced shortly to mitigate the losses,” he said, adding, “Markfed will be the nodal agency for procuring basmati if prices fall below a particular level.” The CM also said that the government will be asking farmers in four cotton-growing districts of Fazilka, Mansa, Bathinda and Muktsar not to grow moong as it acts as a host for whitefly which later infests cotton.
He said that deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police have been instructed to depute the police force for checking the theft of water so that farmers at the tail-end of the canal can be benefitted. “The farmers had raised the issue of canal water theft by affluent people during the first of its kind ‘Farmers-Kisan Milni’ after which the state government decided to check it with a heavy hand,” he said.
He said that laboratories are also being set up to inform the farmers about the quantity of insecticides to be used on basmati so that the crop meets the export standards of European countries. Recommending the cultivation of PR126 and other similar varieties of paddy, he said that special emphasis is being given to promoting PAU-certified varieties and discouraging the water-guzzling varieties such as PUSA-44, which take ample time for harvesting.