Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the state would soon unveil its Food and Agro Processing Policy to give a push to value addition of perishable crops.
This is also aimed at encouraging farmers to go for cash crops and coming out of wheat-paddy cycle.Badal said he has constituted a sub-committee on this subject in which industrial giants specialising in this area would submit a report in November.By December, Badal said he would hold road shows in different parts of the country, besides in the US, the UK and Canada to invite major companies to set-up their units in Punjab.
He said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has already sought Rs 5,000 crore Central assistance to make the policy a complete success.Sukhbir Badal was speaking after inaugurating the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).He said PAU was catalytic in realising the dream of self-sufficiency on Food Security Front and was now required to engineer diversification of crops.
Badal said it was matter of great concern that while ensuring the food security of the country, “the Punjabi farmers has drained out nutrients from the fertile soil of Punjab with ground water level depleting to dangerous point of black holes”.”The enterprising farmers in mad race to surpass last year’s production target have depleted the Punjab’s natural strength that has not been recognised by the Union Government,” he said.
He said despite the state government’s efforts Punjab farmers were not getting adequate remunerative prices for their produce and were facing finanial problems.Badal said the opening of Wagha border offers an opportunity to give a big push to vegetable cultivation as Pakistan has expressed desire to import vegetables produced by Punjab farmers.
He said he will be visiting Pakistan next month to work out modalities for export of vegetables, fruits and other perishable goods directly through road route.He said PAU should work towards a sustainable model for vegetable cultivation.
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