Chandigarh, March 26: Punjab has earmarked Rs 14,524 crore for agriculture and allied sectors in its 2025-26 Budget—a 5% increase from the previous year—Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced on Wednesday.
As part of the budget, farmers will receive Rs 17,500 per hectare to switch to kharif maize cultivation. The initiative, covering 21,000 hectares in Bathinda, Kapurthala, and Gurdaspur districts, aims to benefit around 30,000 farmers under a central government scheme for ethanol production.
The state has set aside Rs 115 crore for crop diversification and Rs 500 crore to promote sustainable crop residue management. Besides, Rs 60 crore has been committed to providing capital subsidies for industries transitioning to paddy stubble-based boilers, with over 25 stakeholders expressing interest in using more than three million tonnes of paddy stubble annually.
A new natural farming initiative will be launched in Amritsar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar (Mohali), and Hoshiarpur districts. Meanwhile, Sangrur will see an extensive underground pipeline network covering 38,000 hectares, benefiting 20,000 farmer families. Fazilka district will witness a project for reclaiming waterlogged land.
The Budget also includes Rs 149 crore under Krishonnati Yojana for agriculture extension, food security, horticulture, seed development, edible oil production, and digital agriculture.
