In line with his government’s decision to double the area under maize cultivation from this Kharif season, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday directed ACS Development Viswajeet Khanna ensure abundant supply of certified varieties of maize seed, duly approved by the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, to the famers.
The state government has decided to increase the area under maize cultivation from 3.95 lakh acres last year to 7.41 lakh acres in this season, with the twin objective of shifting towards water resistant alternate crops to conserve the fast depleting ground water and coping with the shortage of labour amid Covid-19.
It may be recalled that the Punjab Government had earlier set a goal to enhance the area under cotton cultivation from 9.7 lakh acres to 12.5 lakh acres in the state during the Kharif-2020-21, as part of its ambitious crop diversification programme.
Khanna apprised the Chief Minister, who also holds the Agriculture portfolio, that all the requisite arrangements were in place to provide nearly 6000 tonnes of hi-yield maize seed from the country’s renowned seed producing companies as per PAU’s recommendations. All the Chief Agriculture Officers at district level, along with other departmental officers/officials at block level, had been asked to further intensify their efforts in motivating the farmers to achieve the desired target set by the state government by shifting from the conventional, water-guzzling paddy crop, he added.
Moreover, the cultivation of maize would help the state combat the scarcity of migratory labour amid Covid-19, said Khanna, adding that in the present circumstances, the chances of farmer opting for alternate crops like maize and cotton were higher.
