Chandigarh: Punjab State Farmers’ and Farm Workers’ Commission (PSFC) Chairman today raised Concerns of Punjabi Farmers with USDA delegate. Dr. Santosh Kumar Singh, Senior Agricultural Specialist, Foreign Agriculture Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), New Delhi, visited the Punjab State Farmers’ and Farm Workers’ Commission (PSFC) for a high-level interaction on the current scenario of Indian and global agriculture and the prospects of India–US agricultural trade and cooperation.
Prof. Dr. Sukhpal Singh, Chairman, PSFC, welcomed Dr. Santosh Kumar Singh and appreciated his valuable insights on the changing agricultural scenario and future opportunities for India and Punjab.
Dr. Ranjodh Singh Bains made a presentation on “Punjab Agriculture 2026: Production Prospects, Diversification & Punjab–US Agricultural Cooperation.”The presentation highlighted the need for crop diversification beyond the rice-wheat system, with greater focus on maize, cotton, basmati, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, along with livestock, food processing and value addition.
It was emphasised that diversification must be supported by assured markets, procurement, processing and better price realization for farmers. The presentation also highlighted opportunities for Punjab–US cooperation in farm mechanization, precision and AI-based agriculture, climate-resilient technologies, post-harvest management, food safety, groundwater conservation and joint research. Punjab’s potential for increasing exports of Basmati rice, honey, turmeric, fruits, vegetables and other non-GMO products was also discussed.
During the interaction, Dr. Santosh Kumar Singh raised concerns regarding differences in farm sizes and farm structures in India and the USA, better farm insurance coverage in the USA, the decline of backyard livestock in India, the need to move from mere tractorisation towards comprehensive adequate mechanization and the possible advantages and challenges of India–US bilateral trade agreements.
Prof. Dr. Sukhpal Singh pointed out that while the average landholding in India is around 2 acres, Punjab has an average holding of about 9 acres; however, high land rents, input costs and other production expenses are putting Punjab’s farmers under increasing financial pressure. The discussion concluded with the need to balance the opportunities arising from India–US trade with the protection of farmers’ interests, particularly in crops important for Punjab’s diversification and livestock sector is also giving a ray of hope where farmers of both nations would enjoy win-win situations.
Dr. Ranjodh Singh Bains thanked Dr. Santosh Kumar Singh for sparing his valuable time and sharing his views and expressed hope for regular communication and greater collaboration between PSFC and USDA on agriculture, technology, trade, diversification and sustainable resource management.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to Dr. Sukhpal Singh, Dr. S K Singh, Dr. Anil Sood and all researchers of PSFC.
