CHANDIGARH: Progressive farmers of Moga district have demanded legislative measures to make "contract farming'' a success and argued that this step will benefit producers as well as purchasers.

In a resolution passed at the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting at Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Budhsinghwala village of Moga district, the participants also endorsed the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Farmers' Committee decision of December 20 last urging the Government to take appropriate legislative measures to stop early transplantation of paddy, burning of paddy and wheat straw and a ban on sowing of paddy varieties not recommended by the University.

The Chairman of the marketing committee of Kot Ise Khan, Vijay Kumar Dhir, and some local farmers said that these measures would help conserve water. The SAC meeting was presided over by PAU's Director of Extension Education, S.S. Gill, who appreciated the cooperation and support of the Moga district administration in supplementing the PAU efforts to impress upon the farmers to adopt the recommended Package of Practices for better yields and returns and follow knowledge based scientific agriculture.

The farmers also suggested that the University should conduct educational tours of farmers to the farms that had achieved commendable results in application of diversification in agriculture, marketing their own vegetables and adopting dairy farming.

Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner of Moga, Mandeep Singh, assured that the farmers' centres along the Budh Singh Wala to Charikh road would be completed by March 31. He also said that with the help of PAU the Administration would continue to create awareness among the farmers about the alarming rate at which the water table receded at a rate of 2.5 feet per year in the district. He also expressed concern that even submersible pumps failed to lift water in Nihal Singh Wala Block and called for urgent corrective steps.

Mr. Singh assured Dr. Gill that all the district cooperative societies would coordinate and cooperate with PAU to organise farmers' training camps and courses in different agriculture related vocations.

The Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Kamaldeep Singh Sangha, said his department would cooperate with PAU on the dissemination of knowledge about Information Technology and Home Science.

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