On the pattern of the health card, the State Government is going to issue soil health card to farmers by 2017. Currently, four districts have been selected for distribution of the soil health card.
Farmers may increase their cultivation by adopting modern scientific techniques. Despite the 2013 disaster, the state’s agriculture development rate is five percent and expected to touch seven percent figure. Chief minister Harish Rawat said this after inaugurating a day long sugarcane farmers fair and training programme under national agriculture development scheme in Nayagaon Pelio, Dehradun by sugarcane development department on Sunday.
CM instructed the officials to facilitate training of the sugarcane farmers on new techniques for sowing and other aspects from cultivation to crushing. Rawat said, “The sugar mills should be modernised. The farmers should be provided latest seeds to improve recovery. The best variety of sugarcane should be publicised to encourage farmers to adopt this.Using best seeds can increase the production and sugar mills would also get more recovery.” He also said that farmers 75 percent dues have already been paid by the state and remaining dues will be cleared shortly. To protect the crop from wildlife fencing has been done around farms while a shelter for monkeys has been set up in Haridwar. The CM expressed hope that the State would be able to redress the monkey menace in next two years.
To promote rain water harvesting the State has been giving bonus to the farmers who harvest rain water. With this, farmers would get water for irrigation and also benefit from fishery. For dairy production the State is already giving Rs four per liter bonus to the farmers with the dairy production doubling in the State. Adopting the new vision with latest techniques would increase the cash flow to farmers and ultimately state’s economy will get a major boost. He appealed the farmers to cultivate cash crops and also asked them to pledge that they will plant a fruit tree in their yard during upcoming rainy season .
He also called upon the farmers to adopt traditional techniques to protect crops from wildlife. Under traditional systems farmers grow Sal, Kari Patta and Chuan around farm and also cultivate mustard to attract bees. This will keep elephants away from the area while also providing scope for apiculture, said Rawat.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyay, sugarcane committee Dehradun chairman Chundhary Mahendra Singh, ex MlA Ranjit Singh Verma, Doiwala sugarcane committee’s Ishwar Chandra Pal, development council chairman Tahir Ali, assistant commissioner sugarcane Harimohan Upadhyay and others were also present on the occasion.