Punjab to focus on agri productivity, says CS

CHANDIGARH: To improve farm productivity in the state, Punjab chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal stressed on increasing public investment in agriculture and allied sectors.

At state-level review meeting of a committee on Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) here on Tuesday, agriculture and allied sector projects worth `440 crore were discussed. The government had already released `413.71 crore to nodal departments the implementation of approved projects under RKVY and its sub-schemes.

The project proposal — establishment of two skill development centres at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University — were approved an outlay of `33.55 crore.

Discussing the projects of agriculture department, the chief secretary emphasised to provide quality seeds to the farmers. He said seeds already certified by the certification authorities of the state would again be tested in hi-tech labs in the PAU.

A project on specialised storage structure systems for organic produce projects worth `90 crore, development of modern seed storage facilities, mechanisation of sugar harvesting, breeding for high-performance hybrids of maize, establishment of tissue culture unit were also approved.