Prof. Sukhpal Singh, Chairman of the Punjab State Farmers and Farm Labourers Commission, gave a detailed presentation on the proposed State Agriculture Policy for Punjab in Kerala
Prof. Sukhpal Singh stated that Punjab’s agriculture crisis has become a matter of life and death. Due to mono-cropping of wheat and rice, 113 blocks have become over-exploited, and annual groundwater depletion has reached 13.27 billion cubic meters. Fertiliser use has doubled the national average (245 kg/hectare). 60-90% of farmers are in debt, and most suicides are debt-related, not marriage or drug addiction, as is often publicised.
Significant Recommendations of the New Agriculture Policy
In the 15 most vulnerable blocks, a phased ban on long-duration rice crops and a mandatory shift to maize, cotton, sugarcane, vegetables, and horticulture with compensation. It also emphasised the need for micro-irrigation, solar-powered tube wells, and canal modernisation.
Strengthening the value chain for Basmati rice (aromatic and water-efficient varieties), Cotton Mission, maize, pulses, oilseeds, and fruits and vegetables. Establishing new institutions such as 13 cooperative-based Centres of Excellence, 5 functional CoEs, Agricultural Marketing Research Institute, and the Progressive Farmers’ Society.
Reforms to land contract laws, digital lease registry, and leasing community land to landless individuals. ₹10 lakh assistance to families of suicide victims, farmer pensions, and loan waiver schemes. Registration for farm labourers, and increasing MNREGA coverage from 100 to 200 days.
Speakers applaud Punjab’s New Agriculture Policy
All speakers praised Punjab’s policy, fully accepting it. They appealed to the Punjab government to implement it as soon as possible. He also said that other states, including Kerala, should adopt many of these recommendations according to their needs.
Moreover, this program is being considered historic because Punjab’s agricultural crisis has now become a crisis not just for Punjab but for the entire country, and intellectuals and public-farmer leaders from remote states such as Kerala are also considering this as their own fight.
The packed audience at the Town Hall in Kozhikode, Kerala, included retired Supreme Court Justice Chamaleswaram, Prof. M.N. Karassery, MLAs K.K. Rema, Kalpetta Narayanan, Joseph C. Mathew, and Freddy K. Tarath, among other prominent figures.
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