Ludhiana, July 16, 2019: To promote the crop diversification among the peasantry, Deputy Commissioner Mr Pradeep Kumar Agrawal on Tuesday directed the agriculture department to prepare a model under ATMA project in which the progressive farmers can supply the wheat flour, fruit, and pulses to administration’s officials so that they can buy from the farmers as per their requirement.
Presiding over a meeting, Mr. Agrawal said that this project will not only promote the diversification but will also save the groundwater by diverting the farmers from traditional crops of paddy to other crops.
He said it has been found that farmers do not adopt crop diversification as they failed to find buyers or good price in the markets.
Mr Agrawal said that district administration is committed to promoting crop diversification to save the groundwater and to provide opportunities to the farmers so that they can adopt it wholeheartedly.
He also asked the department to persuade the farmers to sow maize in the fields and reduce the area of water-guzzling paddy. Further, he said that to promote maize cultivation, the state government has been providing Rs 2000 per acre to the farmers.
Mr. Agrawal added that the department is also offering a 50 to 80 percent subsidy on the Agri-implants to decompose the paddy straw in the fields. He said that the farmers must shun the practice of burning the straws which produce hazardous gases in the environment.
Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Baldev Singh informed the deputy commissioner about the activities carried out by the department.
On the occasion, Assistant Project Officer Mr Avtar Singh, Deputy Director Dr Dilbagh Singh, Soil Conservation Officer Mr Jagdish Singh Gill and others were present.