Crop diversification way out of agrarian crisis?

Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, February 17

To bail out farmers from the agrarian crisis by promoting crop diversification among them, the agriculture department has embarked on a drive to distribute 330 kits of moong and mash seeds in the district free of cost. The drive would be part of an awareness programme undertaken to promote crop diversification.

Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said the government is aiming to increase the area under the cultivation of pulses in an effort to check the depleting water table by reducing the area under paddy and to boost the income of the farmers.

The DC said the state government is already holding awareness and training camps for farmers in the district and also providing seeds free of cost. Moreover, the department is holding demonstrations of the use of the latest techniques for sowing pulses, he added.

Sharma said the pulses can be sown immediately after the harvesting of potatoes and wheat as the fields remain empty for 65 days and the farmers can earn a good income from moong and mash.

Pulses boost the fertility of the soil and reduce the need for other fertilizers because they get nitrogen from the atmosphere and provide organic matter to the soil. The response has been encouraging as more and more farmers are now opting for diversification, which is not only good for the farmers but for the state also, the DC said.

Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Nazar Singh said the supply of moong and mash kits would receive a fillip in the days ahead as the response from the farmers has been very encouraging. Dr Singh said crop diversification in agriculture is a boon for the farmers in today’s scenario and it can maximise the profits of the farmers even from small land holdings.