Chandigarh June 11: Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal while calling upon the farmers said that they should focus on doing qualitative and quantitative farming.
“Adopting qualitative and quantitative farming is the need of the hour and in view of the present circumstances, farmers have to move ahead in the agriculture sector only by accepting the challenge of providing quality. Also, if farmers wish to increase their income, then they have to move towards natural farming,” said Sh. Manohar Lal.
The Chief Minister said this while addressing the progressive farmers of Haryana who were present in a one-day agriculture workshop organized in Panchkula today. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also launched Khushal Horticulture Portal and a booklet containing information related to post-harvest management.
In this workshop organized by the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department on the subject of doubling farmers' income and crop diversification, Gujarat Governor, Acharya Devvrat, Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Gian Chand Gupta, Power Minister, Sh. Ranjit Singh and State Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Sh. J.P Dalal were also present.
Expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi for declaring the increased MSP of 17 Kharif crops, the
Chief Minister said that Pragatisheel Kisan Samman would be given at the state level as well as district-wise also.
Sh. Manohar Lal called upon the progressive farmers to give training to 10 more farmers every year. With this, the number of progressive farmers will increase manifold in two to three years, he added.
He said that if there is agriculture then there is the industrial and service sector too can run in a successful manner. The better the quality in agriculture and the production of minerals, the more it will be beneficial for society, he added. He said that this will bring a new revolution in the agriculture sector and farmers will play a major role in boosting the health standards of the people.
The Chief Minister said that focused schemes should be made to increase the income of farmers. He asked the officers of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department to make small groups of progressive farmers and train them and this sequence should be run continuously. This will bring a paradigm shift in the agriculture sector, he added.
He said that the focus has to be on how to develop other sources of increasing the income of farmers having small lands. Describing vertical farming as useful in this direction, he asked the officers to work more to spread awareness about the same.
The Chief Minister said that there was a time when there was a need for Green Revolution; though the State Government has established new dimensions in the production of food grains, however at the same time by adopting these dimensions we have reduced the fertility of the land by using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
“According to the present time, we have to change, for this not only the fertile power of agricultural land will have to be increased but also we have to be aware of water conservation too,” said Sh. Manohar Lal.
Keeping this in mind, the ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ scheme has been implemented to update the data of crop sown in every acre. Similarly, ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’ is being implemented with a focus on proper management of water, said Sh. Manohar Lal.
He said that for this, the biennial water management plan was also announced in the budget announcement. Under this, farmers are being given incentives for sowing crops other than paddy. This time two more dimensions have been added to this scheme in which it has been decided to give incentive amount even if the field is kept vacant. Besides this, farmers who will adopt agroforestry will also be given an incentive of Rs.10, 000 per acre for three years. This will not only assure afforestation but would also meet the required need for wood.
The Chief Minister said that since the water level is depleting by more than one meter every year. Therefore, in view of this crisis, the state government has to make arrangements accordingly. There is a need to manage and use water properly so we do not leave dry land for future generations, he added.
Talking about tube well connections, he said that the farmers have to move towards micro-irrigation. Farmers should think in this direction. For this, 85 percent of the subsidy is given by the government.
He said that the government has made a comprehensive plan to test the soil of every field. Soil health cards for every acre will be made under this scheme. In this, students will be able to earn while they learn. The students will be provided Rs 40 per sample for collecting the soil samples.
Acharya Devvrat share the technique of natural farming
While addressing the participants at the workshop, Gujarat Governor, Sh. Sh. Acharya Devvrat stressed the usefulness of natural farming and said that by keeping one local breed cow, we can do natural farming on 30 acres of agricultural land.
He said that there is no question of reducing production due to natural farming. Giving an example of natural farming being done in 200 acres farm of Kurukshetra Gurukul, he said that this has not only increasesd the production but has also ensured more price than the market.
He said that conservation of water, land and environment is possible through natural farming and it is also possible to increase the income of the farmer. Along with this, people's life will also be healthy by using crops grown from natural farming. He also provided a free self-written book containing information about natural farming techniques to 100 farmers.
Chief Minister is the true benefactor of farmers: J P Dalal
Describing the Chief Minister as a true well-wisher of farmers, Haryana Agriculture Minister, Mr. JP Dalal said that the government has set a goal to change the lives of farmers by making farmer welfare policies. Zero budget farming for farmers is the Chief Minister's vision.
He said that the Chief Minister always thinks about improving the economic condition of the farmers. Despite the increase in the prices of fertilizers in the international market, the central government kept the fertilizers prices unchanged. There cannot be a bigger farmer-friendly decision than this, he added.
He said that the government has done a great job by providing 56000 Pashu Kisan Credit Cards even to farmers who do not have landholdings. Under this, loans are also being given to these farmers at the rate of interest of 4 percent. He said that the crop insurance scheme is voluntary but still more farmers have got the benefit than before. The government never increased the electricity rates and provided adequate power to the farmers by increasing the quality of electricity. FPOs were formed to ensure that the farmers get fair prices for their crops. He said that the payment of the farmers for the crops procured by the government was transferred directly in the account of the farmers.
Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, Dr. Sumita Mishra welcomed everyone and informed them about the purpose of holding the workshop.
Director-General Agriculture Department, Sh. Hardeep Singh, Vice Chancellors of Agriculture and Horticulture Universities and senior officers of Agriculture Department were present in the workshop.