Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan in New Delhi yesterday and apprised him about various agriculture challenges facing the state and stressed the value-added crop cultivation.

Union Agriculture Minister assured Punjab CM that the central government is committed to the welfare of Punjab’s farmers. Be it the Cotton Mission, Pulse Mission, Oilseed Mission or Horticulture, the centre and Punjab will work together. He also addressed the Chief Minister’s concerns and told him that a special committee would be constituted to examine the issue of hybrid paddy seeds and ensure smooth procurement operations in the state.

Mr. Mann said that the Punjab government is now aggressively promoting crop diversification through maize, pulses, oilseeds, sunflower and bajra to reduce dependence on paddy cultivation, conserve rapidly depleting groundwater reserves and pull Punjab out of the dangerous dark zone crisis threatening the state’s agrarian future. Punjab’s representation in the Central Seed Committee under the proposed Seed Bill 2025 was also sought by the Chief Minister.