Concerned about the farmers and farming, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said that the State Government for the last eight years has been giving a concrete shape to Central Government’s every scheme in the agriculture and allied sectors as compared to other states.
Also, a Centre of Excellence is being opened with the help of the Central Government along with other countries, so that the farmers’ inclination increase towards other cash crops along with traditional farming. “Under this, the farmers are informed about new techniques in the field of horticulture and fisheries and its adoption is further helping them increase their income,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that the Government has started a new scheme ‘Mera Pani-Meri Virasat’, so that along with land, the farmer should also give water as an inheritance to his children. Under this, financial assistance of Rs 7,000 per acre is given to the farmers cultivating other alternative crops in place of paddy.
Apart from this, the benefits of the state government schemes are being given directly to the farmers through digital medium. Today, the state’s farmers are earning more profit at less cost by using new technology. “There are many such examples in the state. Two progressive farmers of Haryana have received the Padma Shri award, including Kanwal Singh Chauhan of Sonipat district and Sultan Singh of Karnal district, for their excellence in sweet corn and baby corn along with fisheries by moving away from traditional farming,” he added.
Khattar said that the Government has started ‘Kisan Shree Award’ to progressive farmers who will inspire at least 10 more farmers to become progressive.
Spokesperson said that Haryana is at the forefront of setting up centres of excellence in the country for increasing quality and production in the horticulture sector. For this, 11 CoEs have been established. Many farmers have been associated with these centres and villages which have registered notable achievements in better agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry are being identified through ‘Village of Excellence’.
The farmer producer organisations are directly linked to the market. The horticulture crops are insured for Rs 40,000 per acre under the Mukhyamantri Bagwani Bima Yojana. The area under horticulture in the state has increased than before and the farmers are inclining towards horticulture; instead of traditional farming. With the setting up of Maharana Pratap Horticulture University in Karnal, the farmers are directly getting the benefit of the new research being done and the techniques being developed by the university.