Narendra Modi will be in Punjab on this day. Team India272+ takes a look at how the NDA Government in Punjab is giving a makeover to agriculture in that state.
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Post the Green Revolution euphoria, the agricultural sector has, vastly, been left to stagnate with the exception of BJP led Governments in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have during the course of the last decade brought about effective changes in their states with stupendous results. Now Punjab is set to join their league with Agriculture getting a makeover.
Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal in an attempt to industrialise the sector has introduced a number of reforms and foreign governments have begun to take notice. The state recently held its first modern fruit and vegetable market in Mohali. Spread over 12.5 acres and built at a cost of nearly Rs.50 crore, it allows farmers to sell their produce directly to buyers. More such markets are being planned for the cities of Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala.
Also, with an aim to give agriculture a corporate makeover, the Chief Minister organised a national agriculture mela where 300 companies, including some from Israel, Canada, and Australia, took part and interacted with close to 1 lakh farmers. Modelled on the lines of Gujarat Krishi Mahotsav , it aimed to address issues such as biotechnology in agriculture, food processing policies, investments, agriculture marketing, risk management, innovation in farm machinery and other related topics.
The Punjab Government’s efforts already have started reaping benefits. According to a report in the Hindustan Times, Lyle Stewart, agriculture minister of Saskatchewan, a Canadian province has expressed an interest in forming a liasion with Punjab on a series of ventures that include grain storage facilities, bio- technolgy and developing new seed varieties of maize and soyabean and water treatment facilities. In December of 2013, ITC Group Chairman Y C Deveshwar expressed an interest in setting up food processing units. As per the Economic Times report, he said, “Give us a piece of land somewhere near Jalandhar or Ludhiana and we will set up a globally competitive food processing industry in the state.”
