Chandigarh, March 12: Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian has taken a decisive step. He aims to stop the sale and buying of unverified seeds in the state. He has directed the Agriculture Department to develop an online portal for tracking and tracing paddy seeds within a month.

“Portal to Ensure Transparency in Paddy Seed Deals”

The portal will mandate registered seed producers to log detailed information about every deal involving paddy seeds. This includes seed purchases, sales, and quantities. The goal is to keep a digital record, ensuring transparency and accountability within the seed supply chain. S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, along with Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture Anurag Verma and VC Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Dr. Satbir Singh Gosal, conducted a meeting. It was a high-level discussion with the sheller owners and officials of Agriculture and Food & Civil Supplies departments. The meeting took place at his office here, on Wednesday.

Punjab Ensures Quality Paddy Seeds to Protect Farmers’ Interests

“This initiative shows our commitment to protecting our farmers’ interests. It ensures the quality of Punjab’s agricultural produce,” said the Agriculture Minister. The Minister gave instructions to the Agriculture department officials. They must ensure the availability of the PAU recommended quality paddy seeds. These seeds should be available to the farmers of the state. Officials should strictly monitor the seed supply chain. The Agriculture Minister categorically said that no one will be allowed to exploit our farmers. Selling substandard and unverified paddy seeds leads to lower crop yields. It also causes financial losses for them. These unverified seeds often lack the genetic vigour and disease resistance of certified varieties. This results in stunted growth, reduced grain production, and increased susceptibility to pests and diseases. It also creates a problem for the state sheller industry while milling the paddy into rice. This impacts the overall rice production and market value of the state’s agricultural output.

Khudian Launches Online Portal for Transparent, Sustainable Seed Supply”

S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that the new online portal will create a more transparent and accountable seed supply chain, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and prosperous agricultural future for Punjab. By eliminating the sale of uncertified seeds, the state aims to improve crop yields, enhance agricultural productivity, and boost consumer confidence in the quality of our rice. The Director Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Mr Varinder Kumar Sharma, Special Secretary Agriculture Ms. Baldeep Kaur, Director Agriculture Jaswant Singh and other officials of the department were also present in the meeting. Box: PAU recommended paddy seed varieties The Agriculture Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian urged the state farmers to purchase the varieties of Paddy recommended by PAU Ludhiana, while asking them to get a proper receipt and bills of the seeds and other agri inputs. He said that PAU has recommended 11 varieties of paddy include PR 131, PR 130, PR 129, PR 128, HKR 47, PR 127, PR 126, PR 122, PR 121, PR 114 and PR 113.