“Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann government is focusing on increasing the income of Farmers by introducing new crops and latest technologies while simultaneously continuing the efforts to conserve the natural resources and save the environment. ” Fauja Singh Sarari, Punjab Horticulture Minister
Whenever the department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare tried to introduce new schemes or methods of cultivation, hand holding of farmers happened side by side. For example, for incentivising Direct Seeding of Rice, as an alternate method of paddy cultivation, training was imparted and a DSR portal was also launched.
The AAP Punjab government also promoted and encouraged the cultivation of Moong by providing MSP on the Moong crop. As a result, Punjab saw a record 77% surge in moong cultivation from 22,000 hectares in 2021 to 38,900 hectares in 2022. This is the highest in the last five years. India imports a significant quantity of moong every year for domestic consumption and the Punjab government had earlier requested the Centre to buy the entire quantity of moong crop to make the country self-reliant in pulses with high protein content. However, due to a damaged moong crop (higher moisture content than permissible limit, broken or discoloured grains), the farmers were forced to sell their crop at a rate lower than MSP. The Punjab cabinet on 28th July 2022 approved a relaxation in the quality norms for Moong procurement, thereby providing a big relief to the farmers.
For the first time in the country digital J-forms were created and provided to the farmers in real time through their Whatsapp account. Until now J-forms were made manually.
