India: The malting barley variety VJM-201 is of international standard

Barley variety, VJM-201, supplied by United Breweries (UB) Ltd is excellent for malting purposes and has proved to be a boon for the Punjab farmers, the India’s news agency Chandigarh posted on October 30.

According to UB Managing Director Kalyan Ganguly, the malting barley variety VJM-201 supplied to the farmers is of international standard. The acreage under this variety initially given by UB group has been on the increase since 2002, he added.

Mr Ganguly who was here in the city recently announced a special incentive for the farmers growing this variety in Punjab. This incentive is likely to give a boost to the crop diversification programme in the state and help the farmers earn an extra income.

According to the incentive, farmers growing VJM-201 on five acres of land will get an additional Rs 50 per quintal over the Minimum Support Price (MSP), while those growing it on less than that area would get an additional Rs 25 per quintal over the MSP.

This is expected to bring benefits to the farmers as the yield of VJM-201 is 17 per cent higher than the conventional PL-426, which was being sown by the farmers. The VJM-201 variety has been fairly resistant to various crop diseases.

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