Chandigarh, March 26:
To sow the seeds of prosperity in the agriculture sector, Punjab Government has allocated Rs 14,524 crore for the agriculture and allied sectors and introduced a slew of measures for crop diversification in its Budget for the FY 2025-26 to make the agriculture a sustainable and profitable venture, said S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Punjab.
The Agriculture Minister said that “Badalda Punjab” budget, presented today by Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema in the state assembly, a testament to Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government’s commitment for the welfare of the agrarian community by introducing measures aimed at enhancing farmers’ income and secure their prosperity for generations to come.
S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that Rs 14,524 crore has been earmarked for the agriculture and allied sectors in next financial year which is 5% higher than last year. A new scheme covering three districts Bathinda, Kapurthala and Gurdaspur would be introduced for Kharif Maize crop and around 21,000 hectare area will be diversified from paddy to kharif maize to encourage the production of ethanol to achieve the target of 20% blending of ethanol by year 2025. The farmers will get a subsidy of Rs 17,500 per hectare for switching to Kharif maize cultivation and will provide benefit to approx. 30,000 farmers, he added.
The Agriculture Minister said that an amount of Rs 115 crore has been earmarked for various initiatives under crop diversification. An allocation of Rs 149 crore has also been made in FY 2025-26 under the Krishonnati Yojana to support critical activities including agriculture extension, enhancing food security, promoting horticulture, seed development, boosting edible oil production and digital agriculture.
In a decisive move towards sustainability and environmental responsibility, the Punjab Government has committed Rs 60 crore in capital subsidies to support industries transitioning to paddy stubble-based boilers. This initiative is expected to utilize 3 million tonnes of paddy stubble annually.
To promote sustainable crop residue management, Rs 500 crore has been earmarked to support farmers, cooperative societies and gram panchayats. Assistance will be provided for the purchase of CRM machines; establishment of Custom Hiring Centers and for the development of Paddy Straw Supply Chain Centers. By implementing eco-friendly alternatives, the state government is committed to curb this menace and ensure both environmental protection and the well-being of our farmers.
Continuing the free-power to farmers, S. Khudian said that an allocation of Rs. 9,992 crore has been made in Budget FY 2025-26 for providing power subsidy to the agriculture sector.
