Chandigarh, July 4: In order to further improve health conditions of soil of the state, Punjab Government will provide 20,000 MT Gypsum on 50 percent subsidy to the farmers.
Disclosing this here today, Managing Director, Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Limited Manjit Singh Brar said that State government is providing Gypsum with 70% purity for reclamation of alkaline soils of Punjab through Punjab Agro and Agriculture Department on 50% subsidy. Around 20,000 MT of Gypsum worth Rs. 12 crore would be provided to the state farmers this year, in which farmers to get Rs. 6 crore benefit with 50 percent subsidised rates.
Appealing the farmers to get Gypsum at Subsidized rates, Mr. Brar said that the farmers should contact the concerned Chief Agriculture Officer/Block Agriculture Officer/Agriculture Development Officer of District/Block or Punjab Agro’s Regional Managers Ludhiana ,Jalandhar, Sangrur & Kotkapura and get Gypsum worth Rs. 340 per bag of 50 kg at subsidized rate i.e. Rs. 170 per bag thus help to improve the health of soils of Punjab. He further said that farmers should fulfill the criteria of various documents including prescribed form filled &duly attested Sarpanch/Panch/Lambardaar/MC of their Village/City, Photostat copy of Adhar card and Photocopy of Bank Passbook. For further queries and to get Gypsum, farmers can contact on Punjab Agro’s mobile no. 85447-18919.
Pointing out the benefit of usage of Gypsum, Brar said that the PH of approximately 2.30 lakhs hectare of land in Punjab is above 8.5, which means alkaline and Sodium is present in these soils which is insoluble in water that hinders the availability of required nutrients to the plants. Due to this, our farmers do not get optimum yield so to improve the health condition of these soils, application of Gypsum is required as it contains Calcium Sulphate, which makes bond with Sodium Carbonate and gets converted in Sodium Sulphate which leaches down to the lower layers of Earth, away from the roots of plant. As a result plants start absorbing the required nutrients from the soil in a better way and farmers also get optimum yield of their crop. In addition gypsum is also a good source of sulphur therefore it corrects deficiency of sulphur in plants.It is also much beneficial for the overall health of soil.
