Wheat seed given to farmers at half price in Punjab

The Punjab government has set a target to provide 2,42,218 quintals of wheat seed to farmers at subsidized rates during the current Rabi season. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian stated that out of this, more than 2.07 lakh quintals of certified seed has already reached the fields.

Under this scheme run by the government with a budget of Rs 50 crore, varieties approved by PAU and ICAR are being provided at half the price. Farmers are being given a maximum subsidy of up to Rs 2,000 per hectare.

According to the Agriculture Minister, this initiative will benefit more than 2.42 lakh cultivators in the state. To get the subsidized seed, over 2.18 lakh agriculturists have submitted applications on the departmental portal so far.

Talking about the districts, Sri Muktsar Sahib remained at the top of the list with 19,110 applications. Following this, 18,369 farmers from Fazilka, 16,832 from Bathinda, 16,022 from Sangrur, and 12,982 from Patiala have registered their names to procure the seed.

Reviewing the situation through a video conference with district chief agriculture officers, Gurmeet Singh Khudian instructed that the distribution process should continue without any interruption so that every needy farmer gets the benefit.

During the meeting, Agriculture Department Director Gurjit Brar informed that the state has an adequate stock of necessary fertilizers available. He stated that against the demand of 5.50 lakh metric tonnes, 5.87 lakh metric tonnes of DAP is available. The minister has ordered officials to keep strict vigil to check black marketing and unnecessary tagging of fertilizer.

Key developments

• Rs 50 crore earmarked to provide 50 percent subsidy on certified wheat seeds
• Over 2.07 lakh quintals of seed distributed to farmers across the state so far
• More than 2.18 lakh farmers registered to avail subsidized seed
• Sri Muktsar Sahib district ahead of all others in the state with 19,110 applications