Chandigarh, April 19: Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Friday announced a 33 percent subsidy on Bt cotton hybrid seeds recommended by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, in a move aimed at expanding cotton cultivation in the state.
“This initiative will ease the financial burden on cotton growers and encourage them to adopt high-yielding, insect-resistant seeds,” Khudian said. The state government has allocated Rs 20 crore for the programme, which will be entirely funded by the Punjab government.
The Agriculture Department has set a target of increasing the cotton cultivation area by 1.25 lakh hectares this year. “Cotton is a key kharif crop in the south-western districts of Punjab. It plays a vital role in diversifying agriculture and reducing reliance on water-guzzling paddy,” the minister added.
Khudian urged farmers to take full advantage of the subsidy and avoid using non-recommended hybrid seeds. Managing Director of the Agriculture Department, Dr. Basant Garg, said the subsidy will be limited to seeds for up to five acres per farmer, or ten packets, each containing 475 grams of seed.
Garg also directed officials to regularly inspect and monitor markets to prevent the influx of spurious seeds from neighbouring states.
