Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has reviewed arrangements for the supply of different varieties of quality wheat seed to be procured for farmers at subsidised rates during the Rabi season.
Presiding over a meeting with the state and national seed producing agencies and local seed growers, the Chief Minister asked the Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, to coordinate with State Directorate of Agriculture to ensure procurement of high quality wheat seed from PUNSEED, IFFCO, KRIBHCO, National Seed Corporation (NSC), PAU and the private seed producers.
He also directed the Extension Services Wing of PAU to educate the farmers about the timely schedule of sowing wheat during the coming Rabi season on one hand and to make them aware of the latest farm practices to enhance the yield both qualitatively and quantitatively, an official release said.
The Chief Minister also asked the Agriculture Department to encourage the farmers to grow quality seed of high yield varieties and identify few villages to be named as 'seed villages' in the state.
The farmers who are keen to sow seeds should be given proper training and technical know-how to produce the best quality seed in the state.
Meanwhile, the Additional Chief Secretary (Development) apprised Badal that a total of 35 lakh hectares area would be sown during ensuing rabi season 2015-16 and thus 35 lakh quintal quality wheat seed was required.
He also informed the Chief Minister that the state was grappling with the severe shortage of quality seed this time as the substantial quantity of seed to be used by the farmers had been mostly affected by Yellow Rust and Karnal Bunt due to "abnormal weather conditions coupled with unseasonal rains and hailstorm".
He, however, assured Badal that the State Agriculture Department and PAU have fully geared to cope up with this situation and the farmers of the state would be provided with requisite quantity of quality wheat seed well in advance before the onset of Rabi season.
