The area under maize cultivation in Punjab is set to touch 1.50 lakh hectares in the current crop year as against 1.3 lakh hectares last year, in the wake of a slew of incentives announced by the state government.
Disclosing this here today, Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah said maize production was expected to touch the 5.25 lakh tonne mark, with an average yield of 36 quintals per hectare during the current year.
He said during the year 2010-11, the area under maize cultivation was 1.3 lakh hectares and the total production was recorded at 5.02 lakh tonne, with an average 36.73 quintal per hectare yield.
In the year 2009-10, the total area under maize cultivation was 1.39 lakh hectare and the total production was 4.75 lakh tonne, with an average yield of 34.14 quintals per hectare.
He said the state government has been providing seeds of two varieties of hybrid maize -- namely PEHM-1 and PCM-3 -- free of cost to farmers in the state.
He said 20,000 mini kits containing 2 kg each of maize seeds were being distributed free of cost to maize-growing farmers.
Langah said the state government has chalked out an ambitious public-private partnership plan to set up 110 exhibitions plots of one hectare each in five districts to cultivate maize on a trial basis.
He said under this programme, Punjab Agriculture University, Monsanto India Ltd and Shri Ram Bio Seeds would jointly provide a 50% subsidy on maize seeds and the required pesticides, along with technical guidance.
He said that in another programme, the state government has selected 50 blocks for providing technical guidance to the maize growing farmers.
He said these blocks were in Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Nawan Shahar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Patiala, Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana.
