Agriculture dept reopens portal for subsidized CRM machinery; deadline Sept 19

Chandigarh: With an aim to provide state farmers with the latest technology for efficient paddy straw management, the Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has reopened the portal for farmers to avail subsidies on the procurement of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines until September 19, 2024.

In a press communiqué today, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that now, the state farmers can submit their online applications for CRM machinery at agrimachinerypb.com until 5 PM on September 19, 2024. He also appealed to Punjab farmers to take advantage of the initiative of Punjab Government to get subsidy on CRM machinery.

The Agriculture Minister said that 21,830 applications were received from farmers, cooperative societies and panchayats seeking subsidies for various crop residue management (CRM) machines during the Kharif season 2024-25. The Agriculture department has already issued 7,832 sanction letters for 13,107 CRM machines till date, with 5,833 CRM machines already acquired by the farmers.

The Punjab Government is offering a 50% subsidy to individual farmers and an 80% subsidy to Farmer Groups, cooperative societies and Gram Panchayats for the purchase of CRM machines, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said while adding that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government has formulated a Rs 500 crore action plan to provide farmers with CRM machinery on subsidy and implement other strategies to combat stubble burning in the state.