Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian assures farmers to start procurement soon
CHANDIGARH: Punjab government led by Bhagwant Mann was under sharp attack from opposition parties and farmer organisations for not starting Paddy procurement even after a week of official date of October 1. The farmers in the state are agitated over the delay and also angry for not allowing an audience with the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The farmers leaders said that they were given an assurance that CM will take a meeting with them but he didn't appear. Now farmers have decided to sit on dharna at Punjab Bhawan till procurement is started. However later in the day Chief Secretary Anurag Verma held a meeting with farmer leaders.
Meanwhile, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian assured the farmers' unions on Monday that the procurement of paddy crop will commence from today itself and the state government is committed to ensure adequate supply of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) to facilitate the smooth sowing of Rabi crops. This move aims to provide timely support to farmers and ensure a seamless sowing process.
The Agriculture Minister also announced that 2.50 lakh metric tons of DAP fertiliser has been allocated for October to meet the demands of the Rabi season. The state has already received 22, 204 MT of DAP from this allocation, with an additional 15, 000 MT currently in transit. The state has already received around 1.77 lac MT DAP so far. About various phosphatic substitutes equivalent to 51, 612 MTs of DAP has also been received till date making a total availability of 2, 27, 563 MTs. This allocation is part of the government's efforts to enhance agricultural productivity and address the sowing requirement of the farmers.
Heading the state-level meeting along with the top-brass of the Punjab Government including Chief Secretary Mr. Anurag Verma, Special Chief Secretary Agriculture Mr. KAP Sinha, Principal Secretary Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Mr. Vikas Garg, MD Markfed Mr. Girish Dayalan and Intelligence Chief Mr. RK Jaiswal at Punjab Bhawan here, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian reaffirmed that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government is dedicated to the welfare of our Annadatas (farmers). The Government is committed to providing the necessary resources and support to ensure a bountiful harvest and prosperity for the farming community.
Addressing the concerns of the farmers’ unions represented by Balbir Singh Rajewal, Ruldu Singh Mansa, Buta Singh Burjgill, Harinder Singh Lakhowal, Harmeet Singh Kadian and Raminder Singh, the Agriculture Minister assured that 60% of DAP would be allocated to cooperative societies, while the remaining 40% would go to fertiliser dealers. He categorically stated that black-marketing or tagging of any product with DAP and other fertilisers would not be tolerated. He urged farmer leaders to report any such incidents to ensure strict action against the offenders.