CHANDIGARH:  Punjab ranks 2nd in the country in average monthly income per agricultural household. Data submitted by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar during the current Rajya Sabha session revealed this fact.

The minister was responding to a question by Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora.

According to the information, Meghalaya tops across the country with an average monthly income per agricultural household (Rs 29,348).

In ascending order, Himachal Pradesh (Rs 12,153), Sikkim (Rs 12,447), Rajasthan (Rs 12,520), Gujarat (Rs 12,631), Karnataka (Rs 13,441), Uttarakhand (Rs 13,552), group of northeastern states (Rs 16,863), Kerala (Rs 17,915), Mizoram (Rs 17,964), group of Union Territories (Rs 18,511), Jammu and Kashmir (Rs 18,918), ), Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 19,225), Haryana (Rs 22,841 and  the highest Punjab (Rs 26,701).

Responding to the reply, Arora said, "If we consider states dependent the maximum on cash crops, Punjab would rank first with Meghalaya having major share of horticulture and fruits." He called upon the Punjab farmers to go for more diversification of crops, horticulture and fruits.

The major crops produced in Punjab consist of rice, wheat, sugarcane, oilseeds, maize, bajra, and cotton, but rice and wheat alone constitute 80 percent of the total gross cropped area.

Arora mentioned that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is trying his best to further improve the state of affairs of the peasantry in the state. showing instance, he said in October the Chief Minister had announced to increase the price of sugarcane to Rs 380 per quintal from Rs 360 per quintal. This was done with a view to supplementing the income of farmers.

Currently, sugarcane is cultivated on 1.25 lakh hectares in Punjab.

The MP said the Chief Minister has assured to make the minimum support price (MSP) for crops a legal guarantee.

GST Council coudn't discuss taxation on tobacco and gutkha: FM

GST 48th Council meeting: No tax hike on any item, Key points

GST Council hold virtual Meeting today: Tax on online gaming & more