Badal calls upon small farmers to herald white revolution

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called upon small and marginal farmers to shift from traditional agriculture towards progressive dairy farming to herald the second white revolution in the state.

Presiding over the inaugural function of the three-day Dairy and Agri-Expo organised by Punjab Dairy Farmers' Association (PDFA) here at New Grain Market, Badal said that it was the need of the hour to bring diversification in agriculture sector by switching over from wheat-paddy rotation to agri-allied sectors.

Badal said the conventional agriculture was no longer remunerative due to continually squeezing margins of profit and at such a juncture dairy farming seems to be one of the best alternative for the farming community.

"The state government was also extending all support and cooperation to boost dairy farming, as it would also give much needed impetus for strengthening the state's rural economy," Badal added.

He announced that the Punjab Government was providing 50% subsidy on purchase of cows and buffaloes. It is also giving subsidy to women for construction of sheds for setting up dairies, which is double than the subsidy being provided to the male entrepreneurs.

He said that Punjab had a tremendous potential to increase the milk production, which must be tapped to supply the milk to the processing plants in the cooperative and private sectors for ensuring better prices to the milk producers.

Badal informed that the state Government was also trying to tie-up with some foreign companies, which are pioneer in the field of dairy farming to develop dairy sector in a holistic manner by providing technical know-how and managerial skills to its dairy farmers in the state.