50% subsidy on fodder-cutting machine

Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 5 In an effort to exhort farmers to opt for diversifying into commercial crops and dairy sector, the state government has decided to extend the financial aid on fodder cutting machines by up to 50 per cent.Talking about this, Cabinet Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, said, “The aim of providing 50 per cent financial aid on the fodder cutting machine is to cut down the input costs of dairy farmers.” He said the machine helped in cutting fodder with ease and reduced expenses incurred on the process thereby enabling farmers to rear more animals at reduced expenses. The machine could also easily cut berseem, oats and garlic, which were used as fodder, he added He said, “The farmers can cut fodder in large quantity and preserve it as silage for the cattle.” He added that farmers having a minimum of 10 animals could avail financial aid, for which they could contact the Dairy Department. He said Punjab was primarily an agrarian state and owing to the Green Revolution it had always been in the forefront to fulfil the food requirements of the nation. However, unfortunately the soil fertility and the underground water table were continuously falling due to long and prevalent wheat-paddy cycle trend. The minister said, “The Punjab government is making continuous efforts to bring out farmers from the wheat – paddy crop circle and motivate them towards sowing commercial crops with maximum thrust on the dairy sector.” The state had suitable environment for dairy and the farming community here had a long experience in animal rearing, therefore dairy farming was a good alternative. It was the centre of the focus of the government, he added.