Punjab govt expands Kharif maize scheme to 16 districts for 2026-27

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government aims to make maize a viable long-term alternative to paddy by pairing ₹17,500 per hectare with an assured procurement mechanism to secure groundwater resources and farmers’ profitability.

The entire process from registration to verification has been digitised to ensure transparency and timely disbursal, with field staff directed to launch mass awareness campaigns.

After each verification, the district chief agriculture officer will release ₹9,500 per hectare following Phase I and ₹7,500 per hectare following Phase II.

Verification will be conducted in two phases through the Unnat Kisan Portal: Phase I from July 15 to 25, 2026, and Phase II from August 5 to 15, 2026.

Interested farmers can register on the government’s designated portal. A mandatory J-form and geo-tagging of the field are required to confirm that the applicant grew paddy last year and is switching to maize this year.

The Punjab government announced that the Kharif maize cultivation scheme will be expanded from six to 16 districts for the 2026-27 season, with an incentive of ₹17,500 per hectare. The decision follows an encouraging response to a pilot project implemented in six districts during the 2025-26. The scheme targets 20,000 hectares across Amritsar, Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Moga, Patiala, Pathankot, Rupnagar, Sangrur, SAS Nagar, SBS Nagar and Tarn Taran.

The pilot project was implemented in six districts during the 2025-26 season and was described by Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian as generating an encouraging response that led to the expansion.