Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave his approval to enact “Contract Farming Act” to ensure better remunerative prices to the peasantry. An official press release said the initiative was aimed at motivating the farmers to shun the traditional sowing of paddy and replace it with maize as an alternate crop.
The Chief Minister gave a go ahead for the enactment of this act which would be instrumental in the “Farm gate purchase” thereby benefitting both the maize growers and the prospective processing entrepreneurs. Badal hoped this act would help the farmers by supplementing their income. It would also ensure high-quality produce for processing by private entrepreneurs.
Highlighting the significance of direct marketing of agriculture produce, Badal directed the Agriculture Department to immediately effect necessary amendments in the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Act.
The Chief Minister also directed the officers of the Agriculture Department to provide subsidised high-yield seeds, weedicides and pesticides so that the production of maize crop in the state could be increased manifold.
He underscored the need to provide 25 per cent subsidy on the highly mechanised agricultural inputs used for maize cultivation so that a majority of farmers could be diverted from paddy cultivation, which depleted ground water.
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