Badal unfolds blue print for agriculture diversification

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called for a second green revolution and said his government was firm on putting the state on fast track of agriculture diversification to restore soil's fertility and check the depletion of water table.
Winding up the intensive discussions after a two-day meeting with central team of Agriculture experts and farmers here, the Chief Minister said that these fruitful deliberations had helped the state government prepare a roadmap for the implementation of agriculture diversification plan in a phased manner.
Badal said that over exploitation of its natural resources i.E. Micro nutrients of soil and ground water had sounded alarming bells for the state government towards second push to 'green revolution' which was the need of the hour.

He told the meeting that the state government will submit comprehensive proposals in this regard to the Union Ministry of Agriculture by April 30.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has chalked out a strategy to reduce major area of state under paddy cultivation and shift to alternate crops with a view to shift from supply driven to demand driven agriculture.
Badal said the diversification plan would be instrumental in ensuring long term sustainability and improving farm incomes.

"New contract farming act has been enacted and notification issued to regulate the contracts and make mutual obligations enforceable," the chief minister said.

To incentivise the cultivation of Basmati, infrastructure cess on it had been abolished to give boost to its export.
The state government was contemplating a review of tax structure on marketing of alternate crops by lowering them considerably to ensure a level playing field to all the stakeholders.
Effective steps were afoot to incentivise the cultivation of Maize, Cotton, Sugarcane, Fruits and vegetables through ensuring subsidised supply of hybrid seeds, weedicides, capital assistance at the rate of 50 per cent for purchase of Maize planters and harvesters, cotton pickers, he said.