Chandigarh: Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday said concrete steps should be taken to establish laboratories for certifying organic farm produce so that, after certification, farmers can secure better prices for their crops.The chief minister was chairing the fourth meeting of the Haryana Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran (HKKP). Environment and forest minister Rao Narbir Singh, cooperation minister Arvind Sharma, agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister Shyam Singh Rana, irrigation and water resources minister Shruti Choudhry, minister of state for food, civil supplies and consumer affairs Rajesh Nagar, and OSD to the chief minister Virender Badhkhalsa were present.After the meeting, the CM released a booklet of the fisheries department titled ‘Working Group Report on Fisheries Development in Haryana’.The CM directed officers to actively encourage farmers to adopt organic and natural farming practices. As a first step, he directed that a ‘Smart Agriculture Zone’ covering about 5,000 acres be developed under a pilot project. Farmers in this zone should be sensitised about natural farming and assured that they would not incur losses. He said while such produce generally fetches premium prices, the state govt would compensate farmers if there is any loss in income.He directed that a laboratory for certification of natural farming produce be established at the earliest to ensure better market prices for certified crops. Emphasising sustainable practices, he asked officers to adopt micro-irrigation systems through effective water management in the proposed Smart Agriculture Zone. He also issued directions for the development of high-quality seeds for crops.The CM directed officers to prepare a calendar of farmer meetings, workshops, seminars, training programmes and awareness campaigns up to the block level to disseminate knowledge and policy initiatives among farmers. During these campaigns, farmers should be made aware of the adverse effects of excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, as well as the benefits of natural farming.Saini also held detailed discussions on several initiatives of the Haryana Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran, including pilot cooperative farming clusters, use of advanced drainage techniques, solarisation of feeders under the PM-KUSUM scheme, crop diversification, joint dairy projects, promotion of shrimp farming, goat and sheep rearing, and encouragement of oilseeds and pulses during the Kharif season. He directed officers to make more schemes women-centric to further empower women in the State.Box: Herbal FarmingThe chief minister also directed officers of the Herbal Federation to prepare a comprehensive action plan for farmers engaged in medicinal plant cultivation so that herbal farming can be actively promoted and more farmers are encouraged to adopt it. Saini directed the officers to prepare crop-wise data on different medicinal plants based on the area under cultivation and to assess which plants can be easily grown in specific regions. This, he said, would help motivate farmers to take up medicinal plant farming. He also directed that detailed information be compiled on the land being used for such cultivation and the number of farmers involved, so that they can be organised into clusters. MSID:: 127710472 413 |
