Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal alongwith Food and Civil Supply Minister Adaish Partap Singh Kairon and others during a meeting with a deputation of Punjab Rice Millers and Export Association at Chief Minister’s residence at Chandigarh on Wednesday morning.
Chandigarh, May 15, 2013: Taking a leap forward to kick start the much needed crop diversification program in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced to provide an assured marketing mechanism coupled with better remunerative price to the basmati growers in the state.
A decision to this effect was taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Food and Civil Supply Minister Adaish Partap Singh Kairon during a meeting with a deputation of Punjab Rice Millers and Export Association at Chief Minister’s residence this morning.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the Chief Minister called upon the Rice Millers and Exporters to play a proactive role for motivating the farmers for Basmati Cultivation to enhance their income on one hand and achieving the target to bring 10 lakh hectare of land under Basmati cultivation in next three years on the other.
In order to provide an assured market mechanism coupled with better remunerative price to the basmati growers, the Chief Minister constituted a panel headed by the Chairman Punjab Farmers Commission including the representatives of the Basmati growers, Rice millers and Exporters, to fix an Assured Price of Basmati every year well before its plantation.
In another significant decision Badal announced to exempt Rural Development Fund RDF(2%), Punjab Infrastructure Development Fund PIDF (3%) and Market fee (2%) on Basmati and its different varieties under the new diversification policy. He said that this would boost the Basmati cultivation by extending a benefit of Rs 200 crore to the Basmati trade in the state. He categorically said that the main objective of providing these exemptions by the state government to the Rice millers and Exporters under diversification plan was to make Basmati milling competitive so that farmers' Basmati produce was lifted by them at remunerative prices, as a result the state was able to increase area under Basmati cultivation conserve it's depleting underground water resource besides motivating the farmers to shift from paddy cultivation to Basmati, which was a far less water intensive crop then paddy.
The Chief Minister also said that exemptions would be given only to those transactions which took place on the assured price. He further asked the millers that in order to avail all the benefits they must ensure timely payments to the farmers for their produce. On the demand of association, Badal also agreed to work out the modalities for levying purchase tax on Basmati varieties at the II stage at par with the oilseeds pulses etc. instead of present Schedule.
Highlighting the focus of diversification plan, Badal pointed out that Basmati cultivation was the major thrust area to replace traditional paddy to give impetus to the crop diversification plan. He said Basmati has been identified as a major alternative crop to shift about five lakh hectares land under paddy cultivation in next three years thereby enhancing land under Basmati cultivation to 10 lakh hectare.
Expressing gratitude on exempting of RDF, PIDF and Market fee on basmati, the members of the association assured the Chief Minister for making all out efforts for enhancing the production of basmati in the state manifold in the near future thereby making their enormous contribution towards the success of much needed diversification program.
Meanwhile, lauding the stupendous efforts of Punjab Chief Minister in combating the deadly menace of Cancer, the Association assured to contribute 0.25% of their total sale towards the Punjab State Cancer and De-addiction treatment infrastructure fund created by the state government.
Prominent amongst those who were present included Principal Secretary to Chief Minister SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Gaggandip Singh Brar, Secretary Mandi Board Deepinder Singh besides officers bearers and members of Punjab Rice Millers and Export Association.