Farmers must refrain to use hybrid seeds: Minister

Punjab Agriculture Minister Tota Singh today reviewed the arrangements of the agriculture department regarding the cultivation of kharif crops such as paddy, cotton and basmati rice in the state.
During a high-level meeting, Singh issued instruction for the adequate availability of river water and electricity to the farmers.
He categorically asked the Chief Agriculture Officers (CAOs) to complete the task of cotton sowing within week by all means.
He directed the officers to persuade the farmers not to use un-recommended and hybrid seeds of cotton crop.
He said that farmers be sensitized to use the verities of seeds recommended by Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana.

The Minister also instructed the Chief Agriculture Officers to send weekly crop cultivation progress report to the department so that the department, after compilation of reports of all the districts, could inform the Chief Minister, Punjab on routine basis.

During the meeting, Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) directed the officers to aware the farmers regarding the latest cultivation techniques and technology so that the state might not face any eventual untoward situation of crop failure.
Kalsi asked the officers that any problem faced by famers must immediately be brought to the notice of higher authority so that problems could be redressed without any delay.

He also asked the officers to use multimedia means of communication like Doordarshan/Radio for reaching out to more and more farmers in a bid to sensitize regarding the cultivation process and techniques besides producing special documentaries casting progressive farmers unrevealing their success stories in farming.
Jasbir Singh Bains, Director, Agriculture informed the minister that for the coming kharif season, the state had fixed the target of 27.10 lakh hectare paddy cultivation, 2 lakh maize and 5 lakh hectare for cotton cultivation.
He informed that all the arrangements of pesticides, seeds and fertilizer have been completed.