Rana Gurjeet Asks Malwa Farmers to Cultivate Maize Instead of Water-Guzzling Paddy
Rana Gurjeet Singh says he is making efforts to bring Bollgard-III pest-resistant seeds to boost the cotton crop
Muktsar, March 10, 2025:
Member of Legislative Assembly, Punjab, Rana Gurjeet Singh, today held discussions with farmers from the Muktsar area, motivating them to adopt best agricultural practices, diversify crops, and begin maize cultivation as a replacement for water-guzzling paddy.
He urged farmers not to abandon traditional crops such as cotton, often called "white gold," which offers high remunerative prices to growers.
“I am making efforts to bring genetically modified Bollgard-III seeds that are resistant to pests. Cotton cultivation once brought real prosperity to this region, and farmers should not give up on it. However, in the meantime, we should start cultivating kharif maize, and I assure you the best remunerative price,” said the legislator.
At the event Navi Soch Navan Punjab held in Muktsar, Rana introduced Hanuman Singh Jat, a maize expert from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), who also recommended maize as the best alternative to paddy.
“Punjab produces 4 lakh tonnes of maize every year, but the demand is 40 lakh tonnes. Rana Ji has offered up to ₹2,400 per quintal, which is higher than the MSP of ₹2,225 per quintal. In my opinion, farmers are in a win-win situation,” he said, offering complete support to maize growers, from seed selection to best practices for cultivation.
He added that ICAR has hybrid maize varieties that provide an ethanol recovery rate of 42% and encouraged farmers to become seed producers, which could triple their earnings.
Rana Gurjeet Singh assured full support to farmers in maize cultivation, from selecting high-yielding seeds to marketing assistance after harvest. He also promised to launch a helpline for maize growers to guide them through the process.
The MLA urged farmers to become entrepreneurs to supplement their income, as shrinking landholdings make dependence on agriculture alone unsustainable. He suggested installing solar panels on tubewells to generate additional revenue by selling surplus electricity.
“There are 14.5 lakh tubewells in Punjab. If each one is equipped with solar panels, it would create a revolution of its kind, saving ₹9,300 crore in annual power subsidies that the state government currently provides for agricultural tubewells,” he said.
Rana also stated that he would soon meet shrimp and fish farmers in Abohar and Fazilka to guide them in generating higher revenues and producing high-quality fish and shrimp. Additionally, he encouraged farmers to engage in dairy farming and urged the government to implement stricter laws to curb adulteration.
On the occasion, Rana Gurjeet Singh made an impassioned appeal to protect youth from the menace of drugs.
“There are multiple challenges ahead. We must save our water, soil, environment, farmers, farm laborers, and, most importantly, our youth—the future of Punjab. We need to be concerned about the upcoming generations,” he reiterated.
During his interaction with farmers, he pointed out that crop diversification in Punjab has been discussed since 1985, with successive governments making promises, yet failing to revive cotton farming. As a result, farmers in this region were forced into cultivating paddy, leading to acute distress.
“The paddy crop has already caused significant damage, depleting the water table to dangerously low levels. The threat of desertification looms large,” said the Kapurthala MLA, urging farmers to shift to maize.
A few years ago, cotton was cultivated on over 8 lakh hectares (20 lakh acres), but today, the area under cotton has shrunk to just 98,000 hectares (2.4 lakh acres)—a cause for serious concern, he noted.
“By cultivating maize, farmers will contribute to industrialization in Punjab, as the crop will support the ethanol, starch, and cattle feed industries,” he added. He emphasized the potential of the region’s canal network to provide irrigation for maize crops.
Speaking at the event, Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh said that the people of Malwa are both politically aware and experts in agriculture.
“Today, we are here to promote best agricultural practices,” he said.
Due to repeated failures in the cotton crop, farmers had switched to paddy, which has proven hazardous to the environment—particularly for underground water reserves.
“So I urge farmers to shift to maize, and Rana Ji has already promised to purchase their crop at ₹2,400 per quintal, which was being sold for just ₹1,200 per quintal two years ago,” he said.
Former MLA Karan Kaur Brar also attended the event.