Mr Kamikkar Singh of Maqsudra village, after growing spring-maize has grown kharif maize, basmati under the contract farming programme started by the Punjab Agro Foodgrains Corporation.During a visit to his field, he informed that the seed for kharif-maize variety, bio-seed 9681, was supplied to him by M/s MSSL in May. He was expecting a bumper harvest. The field has been cordoned off with reflecting-tape to keep away the birds etc.
“The PAFC chose me to test the maize harvesting combine developed by the corporation. That is why I have also opted for basmati under the contract programme this season and shall also go for crops like hyola and durum wheat in the next rabi season under this programme because the area under sugarcane has been decreased”, he added.
Similarly, Mr Buta Singh of Urna village has grown different inter-crops and has now gone for kharif maize and basmati under the programme. “I had grown winter-maize and inter-cropped it with winter-pea and mentha in the same season and harvested a return of around Rs 40,000 and am now cultivating basmati in the same field.”
“I am thankful to the advice and guidance of Dr Tarlok Singh Sahota, a consultant
with the corporation, who regularly visits our fields along with other officers of the PAFC. I felt encouraged when a team of the World Bank as well as agricultural officers and some farmers from Haryana visited my fields and interacted with me,” he adds.
Dr Sahota informed that the main emphasis of the visit was to assess and to show the status of different varieties of the maize crop covered this season under the CFP. Mr Kamikkar Singh has gone for bio-seed variety of M/S Shri Ram and Mr Buta Singh for Hi-shell variety of kharif maize of M/s Monsanto. Both these farmers have also grown winter-maize and spring-maize under the CFP.
Mr N.K. Sharma, Senior Manager, PAFC, Ludhiana, who also accompanied the team, informed that already an area of 7,000 acres has been covered under basmati during the kharif season and some area also has been covered under kharif maize and kharif moong this season.
Farmers’ awakening camps were also being organised next month in association with the Department of Agriculture for the cultivation of hyola and durum wheat in the next rabi season.
Seed for these both crops shall also be made available to the farmers during these camps. The farmers are being motivated to go in for the maximum area under pulses and oil-seeds for better returns. The PAFC has already been declared nodal agency by Nafed for the purchase of oilseeds and pulses in the state and has shown its presence during the procurement of sunflower.
Mr Amit Bhardwaj of Mahindra Subh Labh Ltd also accompanied the team during the visit and explained policies and future programmes to the farmers.
