Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal on Friday said the State Government is adopting best farm technologies including micro-irrigation of Israel so as to make the agriculture profitable.
A good combination of best practices of less land, less water and less cost can increase the productivity and make farming profitable, said the Chief Minister while addressing the farmers after inaugurating country’s first ‘Integrated Bee-keeping Development Centre’ set up under Indo-Israel project under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture at Ramnagar, Kurukshetra.
This project has been set up on 25 acres of land at a cost of Rs 10.5 crore.
Describing Israeli farm technologies as best, the Chief Minister said that four Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence in the areas of vegetables, fruits and bee-keeping had already been established in the state and two another such centres of fruits and dairy sector were under process.
He urged the farmers to adopt best practices to make agriculture profitable. There are 13 bee-breeders in this centre which would be increased to 32 by next year. The State Government is providing subsidy of Rs 4 lakh per bee-breeder , said Manohar lal.
He also exhorted the farmers to let go the traditional farming and adopt crop diversification as well as organic farming to earn more profit on less land and increase soil fertility.
Dubbing his government as pro-farmer, the Chief Minister said that the government had given Rs 2450 crore as compensation to farmers during last three years, whereas about Rs 1300 crore was disbursed by the previous governments during 48 years. Farmers are the backbone of our nation and it is our duty to empower and strengthen them, he added.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister also honoured 28 farmers.
Speaking on this occasion, Ambassador to Israel to India, Daniel Carmon said that the objective to set up this centre was to empower the farmers. Israel will hold a conference on Agro-technologies in May 2018, said he while inviting the Chief Minister for the conference.
The Chief Minister also invited Daniel Carmon to participate in International Gita Mahotsav being observed in Kurukshetra from November 25 to 30.
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, OP Dhankar informed that after this centre, State Government would replicate the dairy technology of Israel at Hisar in Haryana. A team of expert would visit Haryana in the month of December for this purpose, added he.