The pressure on the agriculture industry has increased at a time when various industrial activities are still closed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The State’s Agriculture and Horticulture minister Subodh Uniyal said this while chairing a divisional meet of the agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and linear departments here on Monday. Considering the increased demand for herbal products for boosting immunity during Covid-19 pandemic, the minister directed the chief development officers to set up one nursery of medicinal plants in each district and maximise plantation of medicinal herbs.
Referring to scope for employment in agriculture and horticulture based sector, the minister stressed on the need for further strengthening this sector.
He directed the chief development officers to establish departmental coordination with officials of agriculture allied sectors to ensure that farmers receive better facilities and the benefits of various government schemes.
He directed officials to ensure that 40 per cent of the district plan is spent on the agriculture sector to benefit as many farmers and agriculture based businesses as possible and facilitate an increase in their income.
Uniyal said that special focus should be laid on the integrated agriculture-horticulture scheme to facilitate progress in these activities and enable the farmers to become self-reliant.
He further directed officials of the agriculture department to coordinate among various schemes including Pradhanmantri irrigation scheme, submission on agriculture mechanisation, national food security mission, traditional agriculture development scheme, soil health card scheme, crop insurance scheme, food producers organisation (FPO), agriculture infrastructure fund scheme while also focusing on renovation of old orchards, mechanised horticulture, establishment of poly-houses, creation of water sources, mushroom cultivation, setting up food processing units and development fruit-vegetable belts among other such tasks.
The departmental officials were also directed to set up clusters in the districts so as to facilitate the doubling of farmers’ incomes. About 1,300 outlets are being built in the state for marketing of the farmers’ produce, he said. Uniyal further directed that one herbal and medicinal plants’ nursery should be set up in each district.
The schemes of the agriculture horticulture and linear departments should be merged to develop one model village in each Nyay Panchayat so that other villages in the area are motivated to adopt the integrated schemes.
Further, the officials were also directed to identify locations to be developed for horticultural tourism.