Chandigarh; Punjab Govt will provide over 22,000 Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines on subsidy to manage the paddy straw scientifically in the state, informed Punjab Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian.
The Agriculture Minister, while chairing a meeting held to review the status of schemes and projects undertaken by the department, asked the officials to ensure that the draw of lots for the subsidized CRM machines should be held within this month and subsidy must be released to the beneficiary farmers by the end of August, 2024 before the starting of paddy harvesting so that the ambitious plan to reduce the farm fires to zero, could be accomplished successfully.
'' State govt laid out an action plan of Rs.500 crore for making available CRM machinery to farmers on subsidy during the paddy harvest season 2024-25. Individual farmers can avail 50 per cent subsidy on the cost of CRM equipment, while, 80 per cent subsidy is for cooperative societies, FPOs and panchayats”, he added.
Appreciating the state farmers for giving positive response to the Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR), Khudian informed that the state has witnessed 28 per cent surge in the area under this water conserving technique in comparison to last year.