Kharif Maize Diversification Scheme
₹17,500 per hectare, paid by DBT in stages, for moving land out of paddy into kharif maize to ease the pressure on Punjab's groundwater.
Run by: Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of Punjab
- Incentive
- ₹17,500 / hectare (DBT)
- Structure
- ~₹4,500 on bills + ₹13,000 in 2 instalments
- Coverage
- 16 districts (2026-27), up from 6
- Area target
- ~20,000 hectares (50,000 acres)
- Maize MSP 2025-26
- ₹2,400 / quintal
Overview
Punjab's falling water table is driven overwhelmingly by paddy, which is pumped through the hottest months. This scheme pays a direct per-hectare incentive to grow kharif maize on that land instead — a crop that needs roughly a fifth of the irrigation for a kharif season. The ₹17,500 per hectare is a grant paid straight to the farmer's bank account, not a loan.
It ran first in 2025-26 as a pilot in six districts — Sangrur, Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Pathankot. In Sangrur, where maize covered only about 59 hectares in 2024, some 1,372 farmers signed up for roughly 1,368 hectares. On 3 May 2026 the Agriculture Minister, Gurmeet Singh Khudian, announced an expansion to 16 districts for 2026-27, with a state target of about 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres).
The ₹17,500 comes in stages. About ₹4,500 a hectare is released once input bills (seed, fertiliser) are submitted at the block agriculture office; the remaining ₹13,000 follows in two instalments after the maize field is geo-tagged and verified, done in two windows on the Unnat Kisan Portal — roughly 15-25 July and 5-15 August. A J-form and field geo-tagging confirm the plot grew paddy last year and is now under maize. The District Chief Agriculture Officer releases each tranche.
The incentive is separate from what the crop sells for. Maize has a Minimum Support Price of ₹2,400 a quintal for 2025-26, but through 2025 and into 2026 mandi prices for maize ran below that in much of the country, as distilleries leaned on subsidised rice from FCI stocks rather than buying farmers' maize. Treat the ₹17,500 as help with making the switch, not a guarantee of a good sale price.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- ₹17,500 per hectare paid straight to the farmer's bank account by DBT — a grant, not a loan.
- Maize draws far less groundwater than paddy — roughly a fifth of the irrigation for a kharif crop.
- Coverage widened from the six pilot districts to 16 for 2026-27.
- Maize stalk works as green fodder for cattle, unlike paddy straw — no stubble left to burn.
- The incentive is on top of whatever the maize sells for, including MSP if it is procured.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Farmer in one of the 16 covered districts of Punjab
- The plot grew paddy last kharif and is being sown to maize this kharif (checked through the J-form)
- Registered on the Unnat Kisan Portal with land and bank details
- Field available for geo-tagging during the verification windows
Not covered
- Land kept under paddy this kharif season
- Districts outside the current year's list of 16
- Plots that cannot be geo-tagged or verified within the two windows
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Aadhaar card
- Land record (jamabandi / girdawari) and last year's paddy J-form
- Bank passbook
- Input purchase bills (seed, fertiliser) for the first instalment
- Unnat Kisan Portal registration
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Register on the Unnat Kisan Portal
Declare the switch from paddy to maize for this kharif, with land and bank details — before sowing where possible.
- 2
Sow maize and submit input bills
Take the seed and fertiliser bills to the block agriculture office. About ₹4,500 per hectare is released against them.
- 3
Geo-tagging and verification
Officials geo-tag the standing maize crop in two windows (roughly 15-25 July and 5-15 August). A J-form confirms the plot was under paddy last year.
- 4
Balance in two instalments
After verification the District Chief Agriculture Officer releases the remaining ₹13,000 per hectare in two DBT instalments.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- For an instalment not received, a field recorded wrongly at verification, or a registration stuck on the portal, start with the block agriculture officer and then the District Chief Agriculture Officer, who sanctions and releases the payments; above them are the district's Chief Agricultural Officer and the Director of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Punjab (agri.punjab.gov.in).
- If it stays unresolved, lodge it on Punjab's Public Grievance Redressal System at connect.punjab.gov.in or the unified state helpline 1100 (also through any Sewa Kendra) — the single window the state runs for all departments under its 2020 grievance policy.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ₹17,500 paid in one go?
No. About ₹4,500 a hectare comes after you submit input bills at the block agriculture office, and the remaining ₹13,000 in two instalments after the maize crop is geo-tagged and verified.
Which districts are covered this year?
Sixteen for 2026-27: Amritsar, Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Moga, Patiala, Pathankot, Rupnagar, Sangrur, SAS Nagar, SBS Nagar and Tarn Taran. The 2025-26 pilot ran in six of these.
Can I switch just part of my paddy land?
Yes. The incentive is worked out on the hectares actually put under maize, not on the whole holding.
Does the scheme guarantee a price for my maize?
No. It pays for the switch. Maize has an MSP of ₹2,400 a quintal for 2025-26, but market prices have often run below that, so plan for the sale separately.
Why is the state pushing maize over paddy?
Maize needs far less water, which matters most where the water table is falling fast, and there is industrial demand for maize, including for ethanol.
What is the J-form for?
It is the record that your plot grew paddy last year. The scheme only pays where paddy land is moved to maize, so this proof is checked at verification.
What if my field is not verified in the window?
The instalments after the first are released only on verification. If the geo-tagging is missed or the crop is recorded wrongly, take it up with the block agriculture officer and the District Chief Agriculture Officer before the window closes.
Facts checked against agri.punjab.gov.in on 8 September 2026. editorial policy.