Markfed to promote contract farming of basmati

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Chandigarh, June 7: To promote crop diversification, Markfed, under directions from the Punjab government will promote contract farming of basmati and other long grain varieties of paddy, over 26,000 acres of land in 12 districts of the state.

These districts include Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahar, Ropar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot and Ferozpur.

Giving this information here today Markfed MD G S Grewal said the varieties, which have an export potential, including Basmati 386, HBC 19, Pusa 1121, PB1, Super Basmati and Sharbati will be sown under contract farming.

Markfed shall provide quality seeds, seed treatment chemicals, fertilisers (macro and micro nutrients) and other pesticides for weed control and plant protection on a cost-to-cost basis to the farmers under contract farming, he said. In order to enhance productivity and quality, Markfed shall also provide the requisite technical support through qualified and experienced field staff who shall visit the fields of the registered farmers on a regular basis.

Markfed shall also be providing detailed package of practices and easy to follow crop monitoring calendars to the farmers for different varieties. Training camps, seminars, field visits and demonstrations shall also be organised.

Mr Grewal said Markfed has tied up with the State Bank of India (SBI) for providing crop loan to farmers under contract farming programme, through the nearest SBI branch at seven per cent rate of interest.

Markfed shall also be organising the procurement of the contract farmed varieties at the predetermined quality and trade parameters at the prescribed rates of each basmati variety. The cooperative is likely to procure upto 40,000 tonnes of the contract farmed produce during kharif 2007-08.

He informed that Markfed shall be upgrading and dedicating its Modern Rice Mill at Nawanshahar exclusively for the milling of basmati and long grain varieties, for exports and domestic sale, by setting up a state-of-the-art unit at a cost of Rs five crore.

Capt Singh further said Markfed is the nodal agency for Agri Export Zone (AEZ) of potato crop in Punjab and the first cooperative in India to organise EurepGAP certification for 55 progressive growers cultivating about 80,00 acres of potato crop in Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur districts, through Foodcert BV, Netherlands. The certification is valid up to the end of this month.

Since quarantine clearance is necessary for the export of potato crop to the EU, the Union Ministry of Agriculture had nominated PAU for conducting the study on the sanitary/phytosanitary requirements to comply with the quarantine requirements.

As per the protocol of the study, trials/analysis have been conducted by PAU on potato crop at different locations, for a period of two years. PAU will be submitting its final report by end of this month.

Markfed will again organise EurepGAP certification for the potato growers and also other progressive farmers during the ensuing season, so that export of potato can be organised to the EU and other neighbouring countries from 2008 onwards.

Markfed will get in touch with some of the major importers, including Frugi Venta, the Greenery, and Hage International of Holland and Agroppa Handler of Germany.

The cold storage-cum-pack house at Dhandari Kalan when upgraded will handle 2500 MTs of potatoes and other fruit/ vegetable crops.

According to the minister, Markfed shall also be exploring the possibilities of exporting fruit/vegetable crops through road/rail routes via Wagah and Attari borders to Pakistan, as also to the CIS countries by air, from the Amritsar airport.

UNI

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