Farmers will receive ₹ 17,500/hectare for switching from paddy to other crops
Punjab farmers will receive a ₹17,500 per hectare incentive for switching from the water-guzzling paddy crop to alternative crops under the crop diversification programme, state agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian announced on Saturday.
Khudian shared details of the revamped crop diversification programme (CDP) for replacing paddy with alternative crops, stating that any farmer can receive benefits for up to five hectares of land, and the incentive amount will be transferred directly to the beneficiary farmer’s bank account via direct benefit transfer (DBT) in two equal instalments.
The first installment will be transferred immediately after verification through the digital crop survey and Krishi Mapper app, while the second installment will be transferred immediately after the crop harvest, he explained in a statement.
In this regard, ₹ 289.87 crore has been allocated for the fiscal year 2024-25, he added. Also Read | Budget 2024: An attempt to entice farmers, or a dry spell?
Khudian went on to say that Punjab played an important role in the green revolution, which helped the country become self-sufficient in food security. Paddy cultivation in Punjab has resulted in an overreliance on tubewell irrigation, causing groundwater depletion. The Punjab government has decided to implement the crop diversification programme in all districts of Punjab, with priority given to critical and over-exploited blocks in the identified districts, he stated.
KAP Sinha, Special Chief Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, announced that the Center has launched the revamped Crop Diversification Programme (CDP) to encourage farmers to diversify from paddy to alternative crops during the Kharif season of 2024.
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