The Department of Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh, has got a new project on crop diversification to be funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). An MoU was signed in the presence of Agriculture Minister Sujan Singh Pathania here on Friday to implement Phase II Project for Crop Diversification in Himachal Pradesh. Secretary, Agriculture, Anuradha Thakur and Chief Representative, JICA, Takema Sakamoto signed it on behalf of HP Government and JICA respectively,
Pathania said that Department of Agriculture has successfully completed Phase I of Crop Diversification Project in November 2015. He said that the new project would be for five years from 2016 to 2020 for Crop Diversification in Himachal Pradesh. He said that a loan project of Rs. 321 crore funded by JICA was also under implementation.
The Agriculture Minister said that the Phase II project aims to uplift and stabilise farmers’ livelihood level through further expansion of crop diversification according to agro-ecological situations in the five districts of the State including Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi and Una.
The Minister said that the activities of the project would be held in over 200 irrigation sub-project sites covering 3710 hectare area which have been developed under the on-going JICA supporting Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan Project.
Pathania said that in the Project, JICA’s Japanese experts would be dispatched for assisting vegetable farming, post harvest activities, marketing, water management, gender empowerment and social inclusion. He further said that trainings in Japan were also planned for capacity development of management level functionaries, field level officers and Krishak Vikas Association members.