Badal gives green signal for ‘Contract Farming Act’

Presiding over a high level meeting for the promotion of Agriculture diversification in the state,the Chief Minister gave go ahead for the enactment of this act which would be instrumental in the ‘Farm gate purchase’ benefiting both the maize growers and the prospective Maize processing entrepreneurs.

Badal hoped that this act would facilitate the farmers by supplementing their income coupled with assured marketing mechanism,on the one hand,and ensure high quality produce for processing in terms of value addition by the keen private entrepreneurs,on the other.

The Chief Minister asked the officers of the Agriculture department to immediately finalise the modalities to notify Maize for the contract farming so that paradigm shift of maize cultivation from paddy could be ensured without any further delay.

Highlighting the significance of direct marketing of agriculture produce especially the Maize,Badal directed the Agriculture department to immediately effect necessary amendments in the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act,which would go a long way in strengthening the agricultural economy thereby improving the economic lot of our farmers.

The Chief Minister also directed the officers of the agriculture department to provide subsidised high yield quality seeds,weedicides and pesticides so that the production of Maize crop in the state could be increased manifold.

Badal said the need to provide 25 per cent subsidy on the highly mechanised agricultural inputs used for Maize cultivation so that the majority of farmers could be diverted from the paddy cultivation in order to ease out the pressure on our precious natural resources in terms of micro nutrients of soil besides depleting ground water.

To propel the hassle free and prompt marketing of maize,Badal deputed the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation as the nodal agency for ensuring scientific storage facilities besides asking the Agriculture department for installation of ultra modern Maize dryers in the designated markets.

Badal also emphasised on the need to encourage cotton and sugarcane cultivation in the state so as to provide relief to the distressed peasantry of the state.

To further intensify the efforts of diversification in the state,the Chief Minister also asked the Agriculture department to station Joint Directors at Bathinda and Hoshiarpur permanently,for making concerted efforts to promote the cultivation of cotton and Maize crops,respectively,in the adjoining areas of these districts.

He also directed the Agriculture department to establish Directorate of Pulses in the state for motivating the farmers for cultivating pulses in a big way to immensely benefit them as a part of crop diversification programme.

In order to popularise the concept of Agro-forestry in the state,the Chief Minister said that a world class State Forest Research and Extension Centre would be established which would conduct extensive research on prospects of Agro-forestry in Punjab besides imparting technical knowhow to the farmers for the planting of trees like poplar on scientific lines.

The Chief Minister directed the animal Husbandry Department to appoint specialised Piggery and Goat development officers.

Badal said that in order to facilitate the Dairy farmers ‘Dairy Service Centers¿ on the lines of Agro Service Centers would soon come up across the state to enable them to use the ultra modern equipments on custom hiring basis.

Realising the huge potential of Fish farming in the state which was credited with highest fish production in the country,the Chief Minister asked Animal Husbandry department,and Fishery department to chalk out a detailed action programme to tap the utilised and underutilised potential of fishery in the state especially in the waterlogged areas in Malwa belt.