Latest news with #PunjabAgriculturePolicy-2023
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Experts to farmers: Punjab's draft agri policy gets universal thumbs up
Even as the state government continues to delay the adoption of its Punjab Agriculture Policy-2023, experts across disciplines have hailed the draft as an excellent document with some limitations that can be removed at the time of implementation. Experts said that the 200-page document offers a comprehensive roadmap for reviving the state's ailing farm sector. They praised the draft policy for its depth, innovation, and forward-thinking recommendations. They described it as a potential game-changer — if implemented with commitment and urgency. From scientists to economists and farmer leaders, voices from across the agricultural spectrum have urged the government to act swiftly on the policy. Gurdev Singh Khush, a renowned Indian-American plant geneticist and rice breeder who is known as the 'Father of Super Rice', in written communication to the committee members, said that he enjoyed the draft thoroughly. 'The chapter on the good old agriculture of the past brought back memories of my childhood. The section on Green Revolution captures how it transformed Indian agriculture. Making Punjab's farming healthier, profitable, and globally competitive should be a cherished goal. The concept of Natural Growing Areas is insightful. Marketing is rightly emphasised, and institutions like AMRII and IAMS are essential. The chapter on ecosystem and climate change is well-balanced. The alarming water and energy scenario calls for urgent implementation of the policy's recommendations. I found the document immensely informative — truly an Encyclopedia of Punjab Agriculture. It reflects months of dedicated work,' said Khush, who has won World Food Prize (1996), Japan Prize, Wolf Prize, and Golden Sickle Awards. Prof Ranjit Singh Ghuman, a renowned agricultural economist and a member of high-powered committee established by the Supreme Court to address the grievances of farmers, said that despite three policy drafts on Agriculture over the past decade, Punjab still lacks an official agriculture policy. The first draft of 58 pages was submitted in March 2013 but was never adopted. The second draft of 21 pages submitted in 2018 met with the same fate. An 11-member committee headed by Sukhpal Singh submitted a comprehensive draft on October 13, 2023. 'While building on earlier efforts, this version includes more detailed and innovative recommendations. It must be implemented,' Ghuman said, adding that the limitations should be addressed, and the policy must align with industrial strategy to tackle rising unemployment and declining agri-sector jobs, while factoring in processing, cooperatives, and market linkages. BKU (Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan also hailed the draft policy and said that the Punjab government should implement it at the earliest. Darshan Pal Singh, president of Krantikari Kisan Union, said that the majority of the recommendations in the 2023 Agricultural Policy are pro-Punjab and pro-farmer. 'It should be implemented to address the ongoing agrarian crisis in the state. Along with BKU (Dakaunda) and BKU (Ugrahan), we have demanded that the government adopt this policy. In my opinion, it is a much-needed step forward,' he said.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Punjab Agriculture Policy 2023: Stuck in govt red tape, policy that pushes for farm reforms, offers urgent solutions to agrarian crisis
As he presented Punjab's case in the 10th governing council of the NITI Aayog in Delhi, Chief Minister batted for crop diversification, urging the Centre to grant an incentive of Rs 17,500 per hectare for maize to replace paddy — the crop that over the years has turned into a bane for state and its aquifers. Incidentally, promotion of crop diversification is among several bold reforms recommended as urgent solutions to Punjab's deep-rooted agrarian crisis in Punjab Agriculture Policy-2023, a 200-page document that has got thumbs up from even the farmers unions — Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), one of the largest farm bodies in state — had even staged a dharna to bring it in the public domain. Now, 20 months after it was crafted by the 11-member Agriculture Formulation Committee, led by Dr Sukhpal Singh, chairperson of the Punjab State Farmers' and Farm Workers' Commission, the policy — Punjab's first — remains on paper with hardly any meaningful steps taken toward its implementation. The policy was submitted to the government on October 13, 2023 and was put in public domain in September 2024 and was almost accepted by all the stakeholders. The policy offers a robust framework to tackle state's long-standing agricultural challenges, and proposes reforms such as a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP), a pension plan for small farmers and farm workers, one-time debt settlements, special debt waivers for marginal farmers, and crop insurance, among other critical measures. Despite the policy's potential to address pressing issues such as economic distress among farmers and the unsustainable farming practices currently plaguing the state, the government's continued inaction leaves many questioning the AAP dispensation's commitment to agricultural reforms. Why is its implementation delayed Senior officials in the Agricultural Department says that major obstacles in the policy's implementation is funding requirements and its 'cooperative nature' while the government's preference is for 'corporative nature'. To effectively address the agricultural crisis, significant investment is needed — something that the fund-starved and debt-burdened state lacks. The stakeholders, however, argue that delaying its implementation will only prolong the crisis, aggravating the suffering of the farmers. 'The policy lays out clear and practical solutions. What we need now is the political will to fund and implement these reforms,' said a member of the Agriculture Formulation Committee requesting anonymity. A senior official in the Agriculture Department, said that the key questions remain. 'How will these recommendations be implemented, especially when past proposals from various committees, including renowned agricultural scientist Dr MS Swaminathan's MSP recommendations and economist Sardara Singh Johl's 'Johl Plan' for diversification and crop rotation, have failed to materialise despite numerous farmer protests? While the policy outlines a roadmap, but how will the necessary funds be sourced?'. The policy records several things — from the farm suicide data (up till 2018) to farm debt, including Rs 73,673 crore in institutional debt. It, however, is silent on suicides from 2018 till 2023 and on the issue of non-institutional debt of farmers. It suggests establishing a State Agricultural Costs and Prices Commission to ensure fair prices for all non-MSP crops, dairy products, and eggs. It further suggests that legal guarantee of procurement at MSP is essential. It suggests that the MSP should be fixed according as per the Swami-nathan Report — at a minimum of C2 + 50 per cent with additional costs outlined in the Ramesh Chand Committee Report. For instance, it state that the MSP for wheat should have been Rs 2,787 per quintal rather than the Rs 1,925 per quintal set by the Government of India and should have reached around Rs 3,200 per quintal as against the current Rs 2,425 per quintal. 'Such suggestions do not suit the governments,' said an Agriculture Department official. The policy proposes a 'one-time debt settlement scheme' through cooperative banks. It also proposes a pension plan for farm workers and small farmers (with up to 5 acres of land), starting at the age of 60. A special debt waiver and debt swapping schemes for small farmers are also outlined, alongside the registration of money lenders to regulate non-institutional credit system. It suggests creating state's own crop insurance scheme and crop insurance fund and leasing one-third of Panchayati land and other common lands to farm workers under cooperative farming. It proposes a similar livestock insurance scheme through Milkfed and the Dairy Development Department. To address water scarcity, it recommends growing crops in their natural growing areas (NGA) to improve quality and reduce production costs. It proposes banning paddy cultivation in 31 dark blocks, where water extraction exceeds the recharge rate by 201 to over 301 per cent, and promoting alternative crops like cotton, maize, sugarcane, and vegetables in a phased manner. The policy also advocates for timely canal water supply in the cotton belt, discouraging paddy cultivation, incentivizing cotton in designated zones. Water-saving technologies, such as alternate wetting and drying, are recommended to improve paddy yield while using 30-40 per cent less water. Additionally, it focuses on micro-irrigation methods for several crops and advocates for the ongoing 'Pani Bachao, Paisa Kamao' (PBPK) scheme. It further advocates immediate payment to sugarcane farmers by the sugar mills, promoting ethanol production, and providing maize dryers to farmers. The policy also calls for intervention in basmati pricing through Markfed's price stabilisation fund and supports organic farming initiatives. The policy proposes establishing 13 Centres of Excellence (CoE) for different crops and and a hub for seed production with region-specific crops like potato seeds in Doaba. It further advocates for strengthening agricultural research and extension services and establishing an Agricultural Marketing Research Institute (AMRII) to balance supply and demand. The policy acknowledges the heavy burden of the free power subsidy (Rs 8,000-9,000 crore annually), noting how the increasing number of tube wells over the past 15 years has driven this cost to over Rs 80,000 crore. It suggests reducing the subsidy through water-efficient farming practices. It also recommends doubling the mandatory workdays under MGNREGA to 200 and providing Rs 10 lakh in compensation to the families of farmers, farm workers, and rural artisans who have died by suicide. Free healthcare should also be extended to these groups. The policy discusses forming Progressive Farmers' Societies (PFS) linked to crop CoEs and establishing an Agricultural Marketing Research and Intelligence Institute (AMRII) to balance demand and supply. An Innovative Agricultural Marketing Society (IAMS) would serve as the apex marketing body for these societies, ensuring advanced planning for high-quality produce, it says. For horticulture, the policy recommends improving nurseries to provide high-quality planting material and upgrading kinnow value addition infrastructure, including cold chains. Lastly, the policy proposes building Punjab into a hub for innovative farm machinery manufacturing and strengthening agricultural research and extension services by filling vacant posts and updating land tenancy laws.
Indian Express
18-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Bleeding Punjab and its exchequer dry: agri power subsidy, tubewells
WITH DAYS to go before paddy sowing season starts in Punjab on June 1, the farmer unions have demanded eight hours of power supply, included three hours uninterrupted—from 7 am till 10 am. Earlier, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh had said that the state would require about 17,000 MW power during paddy season and that Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has made advance arrangements for the requirement. In between, these two development, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the agriculture fields, which get canal water, would not be given power for running tubewells during the daytime. The CM had then expressed dismay over farmers pumping out underground water even when they were being supplied canal water. 'I have learnt that the farmers switch on the motor even when the canal water is irrigating the fields. Sometimes, even when it rains, the motors are switched on,' Mann had said. Mann's statement was as much a comment on the wastage of power — the government provides power to farmers at subsidised rates — as it was on overexploitation of underground water by farmers, especially during the water-intensive paddy season. The agri experts, co-relating the Punjab's groundwater crisis and its connection with power subsidy and tubewell costs — are now calling for a ban on paddy cultivation in the most over-exploited groundwater blocks, warning that failure to act now will result in long-term damage to both the environment and the state's finances. Punjab's groundwater situation has been deteriorating for years. At 32.44 lakh hectares, the state witnessed an all-time high area under rice crop in the last season. Of the 150 agricultural blocks in the state, 60 (40%) are experiencing water extraction levels far beyond sustainable limits, with a groundwater extraction rate ranging from 201% to more than 301%. The average water extraction is 101% to 200% in 53 blocks and less than 100% in 37 remaining blocks. According to data obtained from the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and the Punjab Agriculture Policy-2023, which is yet to be implemented, 15 blocks are facing an acute groundwater crisis with extraction levels exceeding 301%, signaling that the water being drawn from the ground in these areas is far greater than the rate at which it is replenished. These blocks are considered highly over-exploited. An additional 16 blocks have extraction rates between 251% to 300%, and 29 blocks are extracting groundwater at levels between 201% to 250%. This large-scale overexploitation of groundwater is raising serious concerns among experts, who warn that if immediate action is not taken, these blocks will continue to deplete their water resources at a devastating pace. The economic burden: Power Subsidy and Tubewell Costs Not only is groundwater being drained, but the financial burden on both farmers and the state government is increasing. The tubewells [agricultural pumps] used for irrigation in these over-exploited blocks are consuming disproportionately higher amounts of electricity, which is placing a significant strain on the power subsidy system. It further forces farmers to use more powerful motors with higher horsepower (BHP) to operate the tubewells for extracting water from deep down. According to the PSPCL, the average annual agricultural power (AP) subsidy per connection in Punjab is Rs 53,984 (2022-23). However, in the over-exploited blocks like Barnala (Rs 89,556), Sangrur (Rs 84,428), Patiala (Rs 78,476), and Moga (Rs 75,812), the power subsidy per connection is considerably higher. In addition to the high subsidy costs, farmers in these regions are forced to spend large sums of money to deepen their tubewells as groundwater levels continue to decline. Urgent call for phased reduction of paddy cultivation Given the alarming rates of groundwater depletion and the escalating costs of power subsidies, it is clear that paddy cultivation in the most over-exploited blocks cannot continue without catastrophic consequences. Even the Agricultural Policy-2023 acknowledges this, with experts urging the government to take bold actions. One of the key recommendations is the phased reduction of paddy cultivation in blocks where groundwater extraction exceeds 200%. The government must phase out paddy farming in these areas and transition to crops that consume less water. Furthermore, farmers should be encouraged and financially supported to grow more sustainable crops like cotton, maize, sugarcane, vegetables, and orchards. Experts call for immediate action Experts from PAU have raised alarm, emphasising the urgent need to stop cultivating water-intensive crops like paddy in these over-exploited blocks. Dr Rakesh Sharda, Principal Scientist (Plasticulture), Soil and Water Engineering Department at PAU, has pointed out that in addition to prohibiting paddy cultivation in these blocks in a phased manner, there is a need to incentivise the adoption of water-saving technologies. The use of Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) technology and other water-efficient techniques should be promoted in blocks where groundwater extraction is between 100% and 200%. Moreover, efforts to recharge groundwater in these areas must go hand in hand with promoting crops that can benefit from systems like drip irrigation and other micro-irrigation technologies. Such measures will help ensure sustainable farming in the long run while addressing the critical issue of groundwater depletion, added he. He also advocated for ensuring farmers are not financially burdened during this transition. It is crucial to offer adequate compensation and support for their shift from paddy to alternative crops. This could include subsidies, technical assistance, and training on water-efficient farming practices, he emphasised.
