Area under basmati to increase in district

Dr Paramjit Singh, chief agriculture officer, said a target had been set to increase the cultivation area under basmati from 18,000 to 20000 hectares in Jalandhar district.

He informed farmers in this regard during a district-level Kisan Mela organised at Nakodar. He stated that under the National Food Security Mission (pulses), the department was providing seeds of pulses to farmers at subsidised rates.

Dr Mangal Singh Sidhu, director, agriculture department, told farmers that the department would provide around 2 quintals of wheat seeds to farmers in the state.

Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Shiromani Akali Dal MLA, advised farmers to adopt subsidiary occupations such as dairy farming, fishery and horticulture to earn more profit.