Khudian Urges Centre for ₹17,500/Ha Incentive to Boost Crop Diversification
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, May 8, 2025
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian has called on the Central Government to provide a cash incentive of ₹17,500 per hectare to farmers shifting from paddy to alternative crops during the Kharif season. He also demanded additional support for the management of paddy stubble to reduce pollution.
Speaking at the National Conference on Agriculture – Kharif Campaign 2025 held at the PUSA Complex in New Delhi, Khudian emphasized the urgency of financial assistance under the Crop Diversification Programme (CDP). He pointed out that while the Centre had issued revised guidelines in June 2024 promising such incentives, no financial support has yet been provided, despite follow-up communications in November and December.
Khudian said the incentive—up to 5 hectares per farmer—is critical to promote the cultivation of alternative crops like maize and cotton. He reiterated Punjab’s willingness to partner in the effort by also contributing state-level support.
The minister also urged the Centre to provide per-acre incentives to help farmers cover the costs of paddy straw management, a key measure to curb stubble burning and mitigate air pollution. He stressed that without such support, efforts to address this environmental challenge would fall short.
Highlighting Punjab’s major contribution to national food security—accounting for 21% of paddy and 46% of wheat in the central pool—Khudian underscored the importance of an uninterrupted fertiliser supply, especially phosphatic fertilisers, which often face shortages during the Rabi season.
Additionally, Khudian appealed to the Union Government to reinstate the wheat seed subsidy under the NFSM and RKVY schemes. Citing Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) estimates, he noted that India would need to produce 345 million metric tonnes of food grains to feed its growing population, up from the current 298.82 million metric tonnes.
He stressed that replacing 33% of wheat seed annually, as advised by ICAR, would cost approximately ₹20 crore—a figure that justifies the continuation of the subsidy in the national interest.