The Haryana Government will join the online national agriculture market platform to ensure farmers can get better returns by selling their produce in other States.
In the first phase, the State Government has planned to link 54 'mandis' with the national agriculture market.
“Haryana Government will be linking 54 mandis out of 108 with national agriculture market in the first phase. With this, our farmers will get market in other states as well,” said Haryana Agriculture Minister O P Dhankar while addressing a press conference here on Friday.
He noted that at present, farmers have limited
market opportunities to sell their produce.
Citing an example, the Minister said, “At present, a cotton farmer in Sirsa will have to either sell his produce in the local mandi or take it back home if low price is offered. With linking of mandis with national agriculture market, a trader in Ambala or any other place can also buy his crop. With this move, farmers will be get good and competitive market and it will not be limited to one market. There will be e-trading.”
"In Sikkim recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting of all state agriculture ministers and discussed national agriculture market," said Dhankar, adding that Karnataka was the first state which opted for the initiative.
The national agriculture market will create a unified market through the common e-platform and provide better price to farmers, improve supply chain and reduce wastages.
Regarding the issue of promoting horticulture, he said the State Government will open centres of excellence in each district to promote horticulture and floriculture.
"We are in talks with Vietnam and Israel for the centres of excellence. We also want to promote ornamental fishing," he said.
Dhankar, who also holds the portfolios of irrigation, animal husbandry and fisheries, said that Haryana was supplying water to Delhi as per its requirement.
"But our issue with Delhi is that the water which we get from Delhi is untreated and we have taken up the matter with Kejriwal government and Union Minister Uma Bharti. Untreated water was being supplied to Mewat, Palwal and Faridabad," he said.
On the issue of compensation to cotton growers, Dhankar said that the report of special girdawari conducted to assess the damage caused to cotton and other Kharif crops due to whitefly has been received. The compensation to farmers would be distributed on priority basis after the release of notification of completion of Panchayati Raj elections by the State Election Commission,he added.
Regarding implementation of recommendations of Swaminathan Aayog, the Agriculture Minister said that the State Government is implementing the recommendations of Swaminathan Aayog in a phased manner.
The Commission has recommended to give minimum compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre for loss of crops due to natural calamity, but the present government has given compensation at the rate of Rs 12,000 per acre. Similarly, Swaminathan Commission has said that about minimum support price of crops be announced by including crop cost plus 50 per cent of the profit, whereas at present MSP is announced with 20 per cent profit. Haryana government has also written to Prime Minister Office for increasing it by ten per cent every year and it would be increased to 50 per cent in a phased manner, added he.
Dhankar also informed that biggest mandi for fruits and vegetables is being set up at Ganaur in district Sonepat. For this, agreements and MoU have been signed with China and France, under which mandis at Ganaur would be established on the pattern of modern mandis set up in those countries.