Chandigarh April 22:
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, said the state has chalked out a strategy to reduce the area devoted to rice land that could be used to produce alternative crops.
Affirming that the area under paddy to be reduced Punjab to change supply and demand driven agriculture, Badal said: "The State will have to take agricultural diversification to achieve the twin objectives of restoring soil fertility and control decline of the water table, on the one hand, and strengthening the agricultural economy on the other. "He was speaking said as he rolled threads after a two-day meeting with the core team of agricultural experts and progressive farmers.
Badal said: "The exploitation of natural resources had rung alarming bells for the State to its second boost for the Green Revolution". He said the government will present comprehensive proposals in this behalf to the Ministry of Agriculture the Union on April 30. "Diversification Plan will be critical to ensure long-term sustainability and improving farm incomes," he said.