Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his Punjab counterpart, Gurmeet Singh Khudian, met at a two-day rabi conference at the PUSA complex to discuss a crucial contingency plan in the wake of the devastating floods. The meeting and its outcome are central to the Punjab flood relief rabi season efforts.
Khudian highlighted the grim situation on the ground, stating that recent floods have damaged 5 lakh acres of various crops across 2,185 villages in Punjab. The worst-hit are the border districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Kapurthala, Fazilka, and Ferozepur, where silt deposits of up to five feet have rendered vast tracts of land uncultivable.
To help farmers prepare for the upcoming rabi season, Khudian has made several key requests. He sought an additional financial assistance of ₹151 crore under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) for the restoration of silted land. Furthermore, he asked for 2 lakh quintal of certified wheat seed, 637 quintal of certified mustard seeds, and 375 quintal of black gram seeds. He also demanded ₹80 crore for the wheat seeds under the seed village program and an additional ₹25 lakh under the National Food Security Mission.
Union Minister Chouhan, while assuring that there is no seed shortage in the country with 250 LMT of seeds available against an estimated requirement of 229 LMT, acknowledged the challenges. He promised to visit Punjab soon to personally assess the crop loss. Khudian, however, did not miss the opportunity to raise a contentious political issue, flagging the non-release of ₹8,000 crore in rural development and other funds by the Centre.