Punjab gives 50% subsidy on all maize seeds and weedicides

AHMEDABAD: Farmers are showing keen interest in maize cultivation with series of incentives announced by state government and maize cultivation is set to touch 1.50 lakh hectares against 1.3 lakh hectares last year.

Punjab Agriculture Minister,Sucha Singh Langah said that maize production was expected to touch 5.25 lakh tonne with average 36 quintal per hectare yield during current year .

He said that during year 2010-11 the area under maize cultivation was 1.3 lakh hectares and the total production was recorded 5.02 lakh tonne with average 36.73 quintal per hectare yield. While in year 2009-10 the total area under maize cultivation was 1.39 lakh hectare and the total production was 4.75 lakh tonne with average yield of 34.14 quintal per hectare.

He said that Punjab government has been providing seeds of two seeds of hybrid maize namely PEHM-1 and PCM-3 free of cost to the farmers of the state. He said that 20,000 mini kits of 2Kg seed each of maize were being distributed free of cost to the maize growing farmers.

Mr Langah said that the state government under a public private partnership has chalked out an ambitious plan to set up 110 exhibitions plots of one hectare each in 5 districts to cultivate maize on trial basis. He said that under this programme Punjab Agriculture University, Monsanto India Ltd. and Shri Ram Bio Seeds would jointly provide 50% subsidy of maize seeds and required pesticides along with technical guidance.

He further said that in an other programme the state government has selected 50 blocks for providing technical guidance to the maize growing farmers. He said that these blocks were in Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Nawan Shahar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Patiala, Mohali , Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana.