Chandigarh: Punjab government would seek over Rs 40 crore from Centre under National Food Security Mission (NFSM) to improve output for wheat and pulses by adopting more scientific methods.

"We will be submitting a proposal under NFSM to the Centre, seeking funds more than Rs 40 crore, which would be utilised to increase the production of wheat and pulses by way of encouraging farmers to adopt advanced methods of cultivation and thereby helping them to fetch better returns," a senior official of Punjab Agriculture department said.

Mohali, Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Tarn Tarn, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Barnala and Sangrur districts are chosen for wheat crop under NFSM. Gurdaspur, Tarn Tarn, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Barnala, Ludhiana and Sangrur districts are selected for pulses cultivation.

The major portion of the funds would be spent on the seed replacement of wheat so as to increase the productivity and output, he said. "Under this project, we will emphasise on replacing the wheat seed with hybrid and improved varieties, which will boost the crop production. We are targeting to replace 40 per cent of the total area under cultivation of wheat with new seeds," he said.
Source : PTI