Punjab State Agricultural Policy.

The Punjab State Agricultural Policy 2023 focuses on addressing the agrarian crisis by promoting crop diversification, ensuring a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP), and providing financial relief such as one-time debt settlements and pension plans for small farmers and farm workers. It emphasizes sustainable water management by banning paddy cultivation in 15 critically overexploited groundwater blocks and promoting alternative crops like cotton, maize, sugarcane, and vegetables.
The policy also advocates for modern water-saving technologies, micro-irrigation, and strengthening cooperative sugar mills, alongside enhancing value addition and marketing through establishing Centres of Excellence, Progressive Farmers’ Societies, and developing Punjab as a seed hub to improve crop quality and farmer incomes. Additionally, the policy aims to increase farm profitability by integrating healthier agricultural production with efficient natural resource use and biodiversity conservation. It envisions a globally competitive agriculture sector that generates productive rural employment and raises the overall well-being of stakeholders. Key initiatives include stabilizing prices for crops like basmati and cotton, promoting organic farming, improving infrastructure for horticulture, and fostering market development. The text is designed in 19 parts.