Punjab agri dept to provide subsidy on kharif maize seeds

Chandigarh: Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has decided to provide subsidies on hybrid seeds of kharif maize and cover over 4,700 hectares of area under maize demonstrations.

Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Sunday said farmers can avail Rs 100 as a subsidy on the purchase of every 1 kg of hybrid maize seeds certified and recommended by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.

The subsidy for hybrid kharif maize seeds will be provided for a maximum of 5 acres of the area or 40 kg per farmer, an official statement quoted the minister as saying.

A total of 2,300 quintal seeds will be made available to the state farmers at a subsidised price, Khudian said.

Under maize demonstrations, he said, a total area of 4,700 hectares will be covered for which farmers will receive financial support of Rs 6,000 per hectare for various inputs, including fertilisers and insecticides.

To wean off the state farmers from water-guzzling paddy crop to save the groundwater, the agriculture minister said the government has set a target to cultivate kharif maize on a record 2 lakh hectares, almost double compared to the last year.

Urging the state farmers to take maximum benefits of the scheme, Khudian said that the subsidy amount will be directly transferred to the beneficiary farmers' bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme to ensure transparency.

Interested farmers of the state can submit their application at the online portal agrimachinerypb.com to avail the subsidy on the hybrid maize seeds, he added.

He also asked the Agriculture Department authorities to ensure close monitoring of seeds being sold in the state.

Only quality seeds should be made available to the farmers, the minister said.