Diversification, often called  the panacea for Punjab’s agrarian crisis, took centre-stage during the fourth round of talks between farmer leaders, three Union ministers, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday. The union ministers presented a proposal for diversification into pulses, cotton, and maize, assuring farmers of minimum support prices with no quantity limitations. The farmers requested time until Tuesday to deliberate and provide their decision. Stepping out of the over four-hour-long discussion that started at 8.40 pm, Union Commerce and Industry Minister  Piyush Goyal called the talks  “positive.” He said farmers’ leaders raised  various concerns in the meeting, prompting some out-of-the-box  thinking. “They pointed to the  rising desertification in Punjab due to water sources drying up, leading to a discussion on diversification. We discussed how the cultivation of pulses could reduce imports, conserve water in Punjab, and boost farmers’ income,” said Goyal. He said the farmers  in Punjab  expressed interest in growing maize but raised concerns about potential losses if prices fall below MSP. “We proposed a  solution involving cooperative societies like NAFED entering …