Chandigarh, July 3:- With the goal of making Haryana the leading state in the country in the field of agriculture as per 'Vision-2047' and increasing farmers' income, Chief Minister Mr. Naib Singh Saini reviewed the upcoming five-year roadmap and action plan of the Agriculture Department at the Haryana Civil Secretariat on Friday. In the meeting, special emphasis was laid on increasing the income of farmers by linking agriculture with modern technologies, reducing costs and providing better markets.
While reviewing the progress of the works included in the Chief Minister's announcements, budget announcements and resolution papers related to the department, the Chief Minister directed the officers to implement the goals of 'Vision-2047' at the ground level within the stipulated time frame, so that the benefits of the schemes reach every farmer and agriculture becomes more profitable.
During the meeting, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Rajesh Khullar, Additional Chief Secretary of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department Shri Vijayendra Kumar, Principal Secretary of the Future Department Mrs. P. Amneet Kumar, Director General of the Agriculture Department Raj Narayan Kaushik, OSD to the Chief Minister and Director General of the Swaran Jayanti Haryana Treasury Management Institute Dr. Raj Nehru, OSD to the Chief Minister Shri Virendra Barkhalsa and other officials were also present.
The meeting also reviewed the campaign to make the waterlogged land waterlogged. Officials said that this year work is being done with a target of making 1.40 lakh acres of land waterlogged. The Chief Minister directed that so that such a problem does not arise anywhere in the future, a scientific plan should be prepared from now and a system of regular monitoring through satellite should be developed.
During the review of the Soil Health Card Scheme, officials said that a target has been set to issue 15 lakh Soil Health Cards in the state. In the first phase, 3.75 lakh soil samples are to be taken, out of which 50,620 samples have been collected so far. The remaining target will be completed by July. The Chief Minister directed that school students, college students and rural youth should be involved as volunteers in this campaign, so that they can understand the process of soil testing and their interest in agriculture also increases.
The Chief Minister also said that in districts where urea consumption is high, the soil test report should be analyzed to find out whether there is actually a shortage of nitrogen or farmers are using more urea than required. Based on this, a strategy should be prepared to make farmers aware of the use of balanced fertilizers.
The meeting also discussed in detail the promotion of natural farming and organic farming. Officials said that special arrangements are being made for the sale of natural and organic products in 10 districts. Separate markets will be set up in Hisar and Gurugram, while separate areas will be allocated for them in the remaining eight markets. Discussions were also held on further strengthening the system of certification of farmers' crops.
The Chief Minister directed that a separate register be set up in the markets for the purchase of crops produced from natural and organic farming and that the facility of marketing, sale and purchase of these should also be made available through HAFED.
The meeting also discussed promoting DSR (Direct Seeded Rice) technology, wide publicity of the incentive amount given to farmers and connecting maximum farmers with this technology. The Chief Minister, setting a target of making the incidents of stubble burning zero through awareness and use of modern machines, directed to make reapers and other necessary agricultural machinery available, especially in the districts bordering Punjab.
The strategy for promoting crop diversification, 'Mera Pani-Meri Virasat' scheme and drip irrigation were also discussed. The Chief Minister directed to organize a special agriculture fair in Hisar in the month of August to promote the use of modern harvesting machines in cotton producing areas and to inform farmers about new technologies. The Chief Minister said that the goal of Haryana Vision-2047 is not only to increase agricultural production, but also to increase the income of farmers and make agriculture future-proof. Therefore, farmers should be encouraged to cultivate pulses, horticulture and other profitable crops, better use of natural resources should be ensured and modern technologies should be brought to the fields, so that the farmers of the state can become even more prosperous economically.