UP agri minister offers 1,000 quintals of wheat seeds for flood-hit Punjab farmers

Chandigarh, Sep 25 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister S P Shahi offered to send 1,000 quintals of wheat seeds for flood-hit farmers in Punjab, state agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Thursday.

He said the UP agriculture minister offered to send 327 varieties of wheat seeds.

Khudian also said the Punjab government will distribute two lakh quintals of high-quality wheat seeds free of cost to affected farmers for the upcoming Rabi season.

He said this aid, valued at approximately Rs 74 crore, is aimed at covering the sowing needs for nearly 5 lakh acres of agricultural land that suffered extensive damage due to the recent floods.

Khudian said state-owned Punseed will be the nodal agency responsible for distributing wheat seeds free of cost to flood-affected farmers.

Free wheat seeds will be given to those farmers who suffered over 33 per cent crop damage due to the recent floods. The wheat seeds will be given for an area up to 2 hectares of land, said Basant Garg, administrative secretary of the agriculture department.

Apart from the free wheat seeds distribution, the state government will also provide 60,871 quintals of quality wheat seeds to farmers across the state at a 50 per cent subsidy, priced at Rs 2,000 per quintal, said the minister.

This initiative aims to further support farmers, making quality seeds more affordable and accessible.

Reaffirming the AAP government's solidarity with the farming community, Khudian said, "Our farmers face nature's fury, it is our duty to stand with them. The loss of their Kharif crops left many helpless and anxious about the next season. By providing free wheat seeds, we are not just giving them a resource; we are giving them hope and the means to begin anew.".

This support underscores the state government's commitment to ensuring that no farmer is unable to sow the next crop due to financial hardship caused by the floods, he added.

The minister said the devastating floods crippled the agricultural economy, with many farmers lacking resources to purchase seeds for the Rabi season.

The Punjab government's intervention is designed to directly address this challenge, enabling farmers to prepare their land and sow wheat without the burden of additional cost, thereby securing food production and their livelihoods. PTI CHS MR