Punjab demands Rs 500 per quintal bonus on wheat

Chandigarh, May 1: The Punjab government has demanded Rs 500 per quintal bonus on wheat from the Union government for state farmers.

Punjab farmers were reeling under a huge debt of Rs 35,000 crore. Agriculture Minister Tota Singh said here today and demanded a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal on wheat.

He also demanded construction of silos or godowns for storage of wheat and paddy through public-private partnership.

On the issue of linking rivers, the Minister said the ground water table of the state had gone down up to 100 feet.

Therefore, this would not be in the interest of farmers, he said. Singh said instructions had been issued to stop the sale of duplicate seeds of Bt Cotton in the state.

He said the state government had signed MoUs with 28 companies to arrange 25 lakh packets of Bt Cotton seeds, out of which 60 per cent would be provided to farmers through Markfed. Shopkeepers would sell the remaining 40 per cent, the Minister said.

PTI