CHANDIGARH, Apr 6 : The Punjab government has finalised an annual action plan of Rs 1,388 crore to execute various projects of the agriculture department in 2026-27, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Monday.
Chairing a meeting to review projects here, Khudian said the action plan, which has already been submitted to the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for approval, lays special emphasis on crop residue management, water conservation, diversification, and natural farming.
The single largest outlay of Rs 600 crore has been allocated under the crop residue management (CRM) scheme to tackle the issue of farm fires, said Khudian, adding that “our goal is to provide in-situ and ex-situ machinery to farmers at subsidised rates to ensure a permanent solution to stubble burning”.
To address depleting water tables, Rs 33.33 crore has been earmarked for the ‘Per Drop More Crop’ component, which will promote efficient water application devices like drips, sprinklers and rain guns.
A sum of Rs 51.85 crore will go towards seed improvement and cotton demonstration projects, and Rs 95 crore has been kept under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) to boost farm efficiency, he said.
He further said Rs 50.30 crore has been set aside for crop diversification to steer farmers away from water-guzzling paddy towards maize, pulses and oilseeds.
In line with the national push for chemical-free agriculture, Rs 8.25 crore has been proposed for natural farming. (PTI)
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