Punjab CM seeks help of private entrepreneurs to bail out farmers

CHANDIGARH: Underscoring the need for joint efforts by the state government and private entrepreneurs to bail out the farmers at this critical juncture, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that this was the need of the hour to ensure food security in the country.
Interacting with a delegation of globally acclaimed agro and crop science giant Syngenta, which was disbursing free agri-kits to 5300 farmers of 12 districts of the state, at his residence this afternoon, the Chief Minister said that the hard working and resilient farmers of the state had played a vanguard role in making the country self reliant in food production. However, he bemoaned that today the farmers of the country were in crisis for which they need to be bailed out by a collective effort by the state government and industry. Mr. Badal said that apart from making the farmers aware about the ways and means to enhance the productivity of their crops it was all the more important to acquaint them about the emerging trends in agriculture.
Hailing the efforts made by Syngenta group in distributing these free kits, the Chief Minister asked them to adopt the villages or form clusters to apprise the farmers about the methods to be adopted for increasing their harvest, so that they could get maximum returns. He said that the endeavours of Syngenta group also needed to be replicated by other such firms. Mr. Badal assured fulsome support and cooperation to the visiting delegation for this noble cause so as to transform the destiny of the farmers. “I ardently believe that combined efforts by the state government and the private entrepreneurs can do wonders for safeguarding the interests of the farmers” added Mr. Badal.