Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, OP Dhankar on Wednesday said that the Agriculture and Irrigation Departments are jointly adopting a multi-pronged strategy to check the declining trend of ground water, and promote horticulture and other cash crops in the state.
The Minister said that maize cultivation in paddy growing areas and green fodder and pulses are being promoted as an alternative to traditional crops in other areas to stop the over utilisation of ground water.
With a view to increase the production of wheat in districts Bhiwani, Hisar, Jhajjar, Palwal, Ambala, Rohtak and Mewat, and pulses in all districts under the National Food Security Mission, online applications have been invited for receiving grants on crop protection chemicals and weedicides till January 15, 2017, said he.
He said that apart from this, applications have been invited for setting up demonstration plots and purchase of gypsum, seeds and agricultural implements under different schemes of the Agriculture Department.
New varieties of crops and new irrigation techniques were being developed to replace crops requiring more water, and farmers were being encouraged to take up organic farming. Apart from this, the entire canal system of the State is being re-modelled and repaired in a phased manner, he added.