He said that situation is alarming as 80,000 of the 2-lakh farmers who left farming are now working as labourers. He said the figures are based on a report prepared by the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, which has suggested immediate steps to check this exodus from agriculture sector.

Blaming the Central government for not helping Punjab’s farmers, he said the government has been doling out liberal grants to farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra but has not been paying any heed to the problems faced by Punjab formers.

The minister said the Central government had assured some funds in this regard, but farmers should come out to seek their rights as Punjab has been a major contributor of food stock for the whole nation.

He said the Punjab government, particularly Cooperative Department, has taken some steps to come to the rescue of the farming community. “It is promoting dairy farming in a big way, besides working on a project for cultivation, procurement and marketing of vegetables on a large scale,” he added.

The Cooperative Minister said the work for the food-processing park at Ludhiana is going on and a plant for basmati rice is also being set up at Nawanshahr.