An Open Letter to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab
-Demand to Include Marginal and Small Farmers in Farm Tourism Scheme
Ludhiana, May 10, 2026:
Welcoming the Punjab Government’s initiative to promote Farm Tourism in the State, an Educationist, Writer, Sportsperson and Social Observer Manjit Singh Sandhu has urged the Government to ensure that the benefits of the proposed policy also reach Marginal and Small Farmers, who form the majority of Punjab’s farming community.
In an open letter addressed to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab, Sandhu described the Farm Tourism initiative as a visionary step that can strengthen the rural economy, generate employment and showcase Punjab’s rich agricultural and cultural heritage beyond Religious Tourism.
He stated that Punjab’s villages possess immense tourism potential with their green fields, livestock, folk culture, traditional cuisine and village lifestyle capable of attracting urban families, students, researchers and foreign tourists seeking an authentic rural experience.Referring to the winter season from November to February, he said the lush green wheat fields and vegetable crops create one of the most beautiful rural landscapes in North India. Activities such as tractor rides, camel rides, ox-cart rides and village stays can offer educational as well as recreational experiences.Sandhu observed that such tourism would particularly attract urban school children who have little exposure to village life despite belonging to Punjab. He added that it could also reconnect families whose ancestors migrated from villages to cities generations ago and who now wish to rediscover their roots and traditions.
He further pointed out that Rural Punjab Home-Stay projects could attract investment from the Punjabi Diaspora settled abroad, many of whom remain emotionally attached to their ancestral villages. Highlighting the tourism potential of Punjab’s geographical regions, he mentioned the hilly and semi-hilly belts of Roopnagar and Hoshiarpur districts along with areas adjoining Jammu and Himachal Pradesh as ideal destinations for eco-friendly rural tourism. However, Sandhu expressed concern over the reported condition requiring a minimum of 5 acres of land for establishing a Farm Stay. He stated that most farmers in Punjab own between 2 to 5 acres of land and such a condition may deprive Marginal and Small Farmers from participating in the scheme.
He suggested that the minimum land requirement should either be waived off or reduced to 1 acre. He also proposed expanding the concept from “Farm Stay” to “Rural Punjab Home Stay,” where tourists may stay in villages and visit nearby farms and rural attractions. The letter also demanded soft loans, subsidies, hospitality training and priority support for small farmers under the scheme, besides the development of special tourism circuits in border, hilly and culturally rich rural areas.Calling Punjab’s villages the “real soul of the State,” Sandhu stated that Rural Tourism could become an important tool for rural empowerment, self-employment generation, preservation of culture and strengthening of Punjab’s rural economy. Echoing Sandhu's views, Brij Bhushan Goyal, Alumni Association Organizing Secretary has asked the Punjab Government to form cooperative institutions of small and marginal farmers and promote this scheme for them.