Punjab increases wheat cultivation area, set to up productivity

Punjab is set to give a fillip to wheat production in the state with the inclusion of seven districts in the under the National Food Security Mission programme by the Centre. The districts are Bathinda, Ropar, Sangrur, Ferozepur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur.

Under this programme the aim is to increase the average yield of wheat. The average yield of wheat in Punjab is 4,200 kg per hectare. However, in the districts, except Sangrur(4,234 kg), selected under the programme, the yield of wheat is less than the state's average.

Under the mission, farmers in the seven districts of the state have been provided with a subsidy of Rs. 500 per quintal for wheat seeds. In the rest of the state, the subsidy is on a sharing basis between the state and the Centre.

Thus, seed to farmers was being provided at Rs 1,200 per quintal against the market price of Rs 1,700 per quintal. Besides, the state government has distributed 57, 200 packets of 5 kg each of high-yielding variety of wheat PBW 502 free to the farmers to replace low-yielding variety.

Meanwhile, admitting that the Centre's policy to increase wheat production might create hurdles in the state's efforts at crop diversification, Punjab Cooperative Minister Kanwaljit Singh today blamed the former for wheat crises in the country.

When farmers were crying for suitable hikes in Minimum Support Price (MSP), the Centre did not take any action and even preferred to import wheat at Rs 1,600 per quintal.

Earlier, to increase wheat production, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has instructed the authorities to replace at least 33 per cent of wheat seed. About 1.05 million quintals of wheat seed were required for replacement purposes.

The state agriculture department has sown high-yielding variety of wheat in 37,000 acre to demonstrate the farmers about the latest technique and practices involved in wheat cultivation.

It is also felt that the hike of Rs 250 in the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat has increased the area under cultivation in the Punjab. As against the target area of 3.37 million hectare, wheat has been sown in 3.48 million hectare during this rabi season.

Last year, the total area under wheat cultivation was 3.46 million hecatre.

The state agricultural department is hopeful that this year, the production of wheat in the state will exceed 15 million tonne against the designated target of 14.5 million tonne. It expects the productivity to touch 4,300 kg per hectare.

Due to the shortage of buffer stocks in the national pool, the Centre has placed an order to import wheat at a price much higher than that given to farmers in Punjab, Haryana and other states.