Haryana is expected to soon get financial assistance of Rs 600 crore from the Rs 5,000-crore irrigation efficiency fund set up by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for promoting micro irrigation, for which a detailed project report has been prepared.
Haryana might be first State in the country to get such assistance, said Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister OP Dhankar on Thursday.
Dhankar held a meeting of Additional Deputy Commissioners, Deputy Directors of Agriculture and District Horticultural Officers through video-conferencing, here.
He said that the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has selected Faridabad for peri-urban horticulture development with an allocation of about Rs 4 crore.
The State Government is taking various initiatives to make agriculture risk-free. About 75 per cent of farmers in the state are availing themselves of the benefits of the PMFBY. Haryana offers higher compensation as compared to the neighbouring states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, said he.
The Minister said that work is underway on schemes to promote peri-urban agriculture and bring 25 per cent of about 90 lakh acres in the state under horticulture. He also urged farmers to sell their produce by creating brands, for which agro-business school is being established.