With a view to helping farmers increase their income and promote peri-urban agriculture in the State, Haryana Government has set a target to make the international fruits and vegetables terminus, to be set up at Ganaur in Sonepat district, functional within the next two years
Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, OP Dhankar on Wednesday said that the terminus would be developed to suit the conditions in Haryana and emphasis would be laid on better packaging, transportation and minimisation of losses due to damage. A Special Purpose Vehicle is being set up for this purpose.
Reiterating the State Government’s commitment towards making the farmers of Haryana more prosperous by increasing their income to at least Rs 1 lakh per acre, he said that the farmers were being encouraged to move out of the wheat-paddy circle and take up horticulture and other cash crops.
The concept of peri-urban agriculture is being implemented in the National Capital Region (NCR). New techniques of agriculture are being developed and farmers are being provided gypsum and other nutrients at subsidised rates under the ground improvement programme to maintain soil fertility, he added.
Dhankar said that following approval from the Central Government, a Horticultural University was being set up in Karnal, along with three regional study centres. Schemes would also be prepared for boosting marketing of horticultural produce in the NCR. Centres of Excellence for Horticulture are being set up in each district for the promotion of new horticultural techniques. Efforts are also being made to promote organic farming, he added.