Govt likely to come up with first agri policy by December

The Punjab government is likely to roll out the state's first agriculture policy by mid-December, aimed to make farming profession economically viable by suggesting measures to raise farmers' dwindling income and promote crop diversification.

"The farm is expected to come out by mid-December. The draft of the agriculture policy is ready and it has been circulated among experts of different fields to elicit their views and opinions so as to incorporate them in the policy," an official said.

The focus of the first agriculture policy for the state will be to recommend ways on how to improve farmers' income, especially small and marginal ones, who have small landholdings. Another area of focus will be to push the state government's agenda of crop diversification so as to encourage farmers to bring down area under paddy and protect natural resources like water and soil fertility.

"It is the need of the hour to overcome the stagnation in the agriculture sector, besides improving the economic lot of rural masses by making agriculture profession remunerative and economically viable," a agriculure department official said.

The state government had formed a 10-member committee under the chairmanship of Punjab State Farmers' Commission Chairman G S Kalkat for framing an agriculture policy.

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