Punjab and Germany on Wednesday agreed in principal to join hands to give a fillip to organic farming in the State. It has been decided that Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) would exchange technological know-how with Agricultural Universities of Germany and would jointly work to come out with new strains of pest resistant crops.

The decision was taken in a meeting of a delegation from Germany, led by Parliamentary State Secretary Ministry of Food and Agriculture Peter Bleser, comprising of representatives of German Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Federal Parliament and Government agencies that called on Punjab Agriculture Minister Tota Singh.

Tota Singh impressed upon German minister that Punjab has played a key role in making India self-sufficient on food security front and now Punjab and Germany should join hands to promote organic farming in the state. Listing out Punjab’s achievements, he said that despite having just 1.5 per cent of agricultural land of India, the state has immensely contributed wheat to the national pool.

He said that the state government is actively promoting green manures and organic farming and also encouraging local manufacturers to produce machines. “The State Government is using ground water re-charging to stop depletion of ground water. The Government is encouraging farmers to adopt crop diversification techniques so that their income is enhanced. The Government is also providing subsidy to drip system,” he said.

Peter Bleser informed that farmers in Germany are trained at high level to equip them with latest know-how of this field. “Germany has very advanced technology in seed and animal genetics. Punjab is a very important part of India’s growth story and both sides should have cultural and technological exchanges,” he said.

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