BENEFICIARY FARMERS CAN AVAIL BENEFITS ON MAXIMUM FIVE HECTARES

Chandigarh, July 20 : With an aim to wean away the state farmers from the water-guzzling paddy crop to arrest the depleting groundwater as mandated by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare department has decided to provide incentive of Rs.17,500 per hectare for encouraging farmers to shift to alternative crops.

          Revealing this here today in a press communiqué, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that in this regard an amount of Rs. 289.87 crores has been allocated for FY 2024-25.

Revamped Crop Diversification Programme for Paddy Replacement Announced

He explained the revamped Crop Diversification Programme (CDP) for replacing paddy, stating that any farmer can avail the benefits for up to five hectares. The authorities will transfer the incentive amount directly to the beneficiary farmer’s bank account via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in two equal instalments. They will transfer the first instalment immediately after verification through the Digital Crop Survey and Krishi Mapper app, and the second instalment immediately after the crop harvest.

1. Gurmeet Singh Khudian further stated that Punjab played crucial role in the green revolution which helped the nation to become independent in food security. Cultivation of paddy in Punjab leads to over-dependence on tubewell irrigation which resulted into depletion of groundwater. The Punjab Government, led by Bhagwant Singh Mann, has decided to implement the revised CDP in all districts of Punjab, prioritizing critical and overexploited blocks in the identified districts.

3. GoI has launched a revamped Crop Diversification Programme

      Special Chief Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, KAP Sinha, informed that the Government of India has launched a revamped Crop Diversification Programme (CDP) to encourage farmers to diversify from paddy to alternative crops during the Kharif season of 2024.  He said that Farmer can apply online on State portal to avail scheme benefits.He added that they will constitute state and district level committees for effective and smooth program implementation.