Chandigarh: In a bid to ensure higher yield and higher income to the state farmers in Rabi season, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Friday announced that the state has distributed over 2.07 lakh quintals of wheat seed against a target of 2,42,218 quintals under the Rs 50-crore assistance scheme that provides certified PAU and ICAR-recommended wheat seeds to farmers at half price, with the subsidy capped at Rs 2,000 per hectare.
Khudian said that over 2.42 lakh farmers will benefit from the scheme. More than 2.18 lakh farmers have already registered on http://agrimachinerypb.com to avail the benefit of subsidy on wheat seed till date. Sri Muktsar Sahib leads the state with 19,110 registrations, followed by Fazilka (18,369), Bathinda (16,832), Sangrur (16,022) and Patiala (12,982), showing massive farmer enthusiasm for certified seed.
Gurmeet Singh Khudian disclosed this while chairing a high-level video conference with all Chief Agriculture Officers (CAOs) to review the progress of subsidised wheat seed distribution across the state.
Gurmeet Singh Khudian also reviewed the availability of fertilisers in Punjab. Director, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Gurjit Brar apprised the Minister that adequate stocks of DAP, urea and other essential fertilisers are available in the state. Against a requirement of 5.50 lakh MT, as much as 5.87 lakh MT of DAP is available to meet the demand.
