Hoshiarpur- Lok Sabha member Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal today raised the issues of farmers in the House and demanded a special package of Rs 20,000 crore for crop diversification in the state. Speaking on farmers' issues in Parliament, Aam Aadmi Party MP Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal highlighted the current situation of farmers in the state and appealed to the Central Government not to ignore the huge contribution of farmers in the development of the country.
He said that due to the anti-farmer policies of the Central Government, farmers are forced to agitate across the country, hence the Center should fulfill the demands of the farmers. Dr. Chabbewal said that Punjab has only 3 percent cultivable land (42 lakh hectares), despite this the state contributes 18 percent of total wheat production, 11 percent rice and 4 percent cotton to the central pool.
He said that Punjab Government is already paying the highest price of sugarcane to the sugarcane growers of the country and is also giving the highest State Agreed Price (SAP) i.e. more than Rs. 400 to the sugarcane growers in the state. He said that along with other crops, cultivation of maize is also being promoted in the state and the State Government is also giving financial assistance of Rs. 1500 per acre to the farmers who adopt direct seeding technology of paddy.
MP Dr. Chabbewal appealed that the State Government is making every effort to diversify the crop farming by moving away from the traditional sowing of paddy and wheat and the Center should promote the efforts of the State by giving a special package of Rs. 20,000 crore for this purpose. Referring to the contribution of Punjabis in the freedom struggle and Green Revolution, Dr. Chabbewal said that Punjab has always been a pioneer in making the country self-reliant in terms of food security ... Demanding minimum support price for other crops as well, Dr Chabbewal said that the farmers of the country are facing many challenges and problems due to changing agricultural conditions and rising prices of farming and machinery, hence the Centre should work shoulder to shoulder with the farmers, especially in difficult times.