E-Paper
De-notify hybrid paddy seeds to ease procurement: Bhagwant Mann to Shivraj Chouhan
The Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured that a special committee would be constituted to examine the issue and recommend measures before the kharif season.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday met Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and sought his intervention for the de-notification of certain hybrid paddy seeds to ensure smooth procurement and lifting operations in Punjab during the forthcoming kharif season.
During the meeting in Delhi, Mann secured assurances on uninterrupted fertiliser supply and groundwater conservation and sought Punjab’s representation in the Central Seed Committee, and pressed for wheat seed subsidy allocation for 2026-27.
During the meeting, Mann said certain hybrid paddy seed varieties have reportedly been causing higher grain breakage and lower head rice recovery during milling, leading to procurement problems for farmers. He said such varieties fail to meet the quality standards prescribed by the Food Corporation of India, resulting in inconvenience during procurement and lifting operations.
The Union minister assured that a special committee would be constituted to examine the issue and recommend measures before the kharif season.
The CM also pressed for Punjab’s adequate representation in the proposed Central Seed Committee under the Seed Bill 2025 and sought continuation of powers vested with the State Level Seed Committee. Mann further demanded allocation of wheat seed subsidy under Krishionnati Yojana for the financial year 2026-27 to improve seed replacement rates and agricultural productivity.
Highlighting Punjab’s contribution to the national food pool, Mann said despite having only two percent of the country’s population, the state produces around 185 lakh metric tonnes of rice and 125 lakh metric tonnes of wheat annually. He said the state government is now promoting alternative crops such as maize, pulses, oilseeds, sunflower and bajra to gradually reduce dependence on the wheat-paddy cycle. Mann said diversification was essential to conserve groundwater, pointing out that 117 out of Punjab’s 150 blocks had already entered the dark zone.
