Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday urged farmers in Punjab to work collectively towards changing the crop pattern, saying deteriorating soil health and falling groundwater levels posed a challenge for future generations.He was speaking at a Kisan Mela, stubble management and farmer interaction programme organised at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Bathinda.Rajya Sabha member Rajinder Gupta, BJP national vice-president Manpreet Singh Badal, the experts of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) were also present.Chouhan said Punjab had made a major contribution to the country’s food security, but the state now needed to move towards crop diversification.“Punjab has served the country. We will have to think about how the crop pattern can be changed, which crops can replace paddy and how much income farmers can earn from them,” he said.“Mantri janta ka sewak hota hai, main to sewak hoon,” he said, adding that he tried to interact with farmers and visit their fields.He said he could send a special Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) team to Punjab to study ways to increase farmers’ income.During the interaction, a farmer Pardeep Singh told Chouhan that the KVK had benefited him. The minister asked him to explain the benefits. Another farmer said he had stopped burning paddy stubble after being advised by the KVK and that the fertility of his land had improved.Chouhan asked him whether he had got his soil tested and how much the yield had increased. The farmer said the levels of phosphorus and potash had improved.A woman associated with a bee-keeping self-help group said 10 members had initially started the group. She said a bank had refused them a loan, saying bee-keeping was considered an activity mainly for men. The group later availed itself of a Rs 10 lakh loan under a Central scheme and set up a processing plant. Around 300 more people were now associated with their work, she said.The woman also raised the problem of marketing mustard honey, saying growers produced it in large quantities but faced difficulty selling it. Chouhan asked her to speak openly about the problems, saying he had not come merely to hear “good, good” things. He asked whether the group was making a profit and urged the university authorities to conduct research on mustard honey and its marketing.A farmer also raised the issue of adulterated milk.At one point, a farmer highlighted the difficulties faced by paddy growers and urged steps to save Punjab from excessive dependence on paddy. “Punjab nu bachao, Punjab bach gaya taan Hindustan bach jauga, Punjab mar gaya taan Hindustan vi mar jauga,” he said, drawing applause.Chouhan said the area under cotton in Punjab had shrunk and stressed the need for diversification and integrated farming.He said some farmers were earning Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh from an acre through diversified farming.He also said he had written to the Punjab government for implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana so that farmers could get compensation for crop losses.Chouhan later visited stalls put up by farmers and self-help groups, planted a sapling and tasted wheat grain to inspect its quality. He also visited a paddy crop demonstration site, where he said the variety matured in 93 days. He said a trial without fertiliser was being conducted alongside one with fertiliser and could help reduce input costs and save water.The minister later honoured farmers who participated in the programme.