New Agriculture Policy in Punjab by March 31: Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal

The Punjab government has formed an 11-member committee of agriculture specialists to draft a new agricultural policy, claimed the state Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Tuesday. The new agricultural strategy will be completed by March 31, according to Dhaliwal.

Rahul Tiwari, the secretary of agriculture, Dr. Sukhpal Singh, the chairman of the Punjab State Farmers and Farm Workers Commission, Dr. SS Gosal, the vice chancellor of the Punjab Agricultural University, Dr. Inderjit Singh, and Dr. Sucha Singh Gill, an economist, make up the committee's eleven members.

Notably, despite the state's economy being heavily dependent on agriculture, no government has been able to create an agriculture policy in Punjab yet. The previous government had also engaged itself in making of a new agri policy in the state, though it was never announced.

According to Dhaliwal, the Punjab administration has been working continuously to enhance the welfare of farmers and the state's agricultural sector.

Apart from them, former vice chancellor of Punjabi University Patiala, BS Ghuman, director of horticulture, Gurkanwal Singh, advisor Punjab Water Control and Development Authority Rajesh Vashisht, Chairman of Punseed, Mahinder Singh Sidhu, and President PAU Kisan Club, Amarinder Singh have recently been added to the committee.

If reports are to be believed, the first government farmer meet will take place in the forthcoming month of February.

Dhaliwal stated that the venue for this gathering will be the Punjab Agriculture University in Ludhiana, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann serving as the special guest.

More than 2,500 forward-thinking farmers from all around Punjab, he claimed, would attend this meeting. He said that farmers would discuss agricultural policy at this gathering and that their insightful proposals would be considered.