Punjab Newsline, Shimla, Feburary 14-
CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the state government was committed to strengthening the rural economy through sustainable and farmer-friendly policies. The government has taken a pioneering step by becoming the first state in the country to fix the highest support price for wheat and maize under natural farming.
He said that the state government has set a milestone by purchasing wheat at Rs.40 per kg and maize at Rs. 30 per kg from farmers produced through natural farming practices. So far, 398 metric tonnes of naturally grown maize have been procured from 1,508 farmers and Rs. 1.19 crore has been directly transferred to their bank accounts through DBT. He said that to promote natural produce the state government has launched Him Bhog-Him Makki Atta in the market. The government has assured farmers a stable income by committing to purchase up to 20 quintals of maize per family growing produce through natural farming.
Sukhu further said that to encourage farmers to adopt natural farming, the government has started Rajiv Gandhi Natural Farming Start-up Yojana as a part of Rs. 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi Start-up Scheme, which integrates agriculture with employment generation.