Chandigarh

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today stressed on strengthening of marketing of farm produce to ensure increase in income of farmers.

Allied sectors of agriculture like horticulture, diary, and fisheries should be promoted and diversification of the crops especially their proper marketing is essential to ensure to increase the income of farmers, the minister said at an event here.

He said that the final draft of Irrigation Policy has been prepared and the same will be implemented in all the states.

This policy will be able to provide water to every district and work for everybody, he said.

On the opening of horticulture university in Haryana, the union minister said it will be opened soon in consultation with the state government.

Addressing the gathering in a two day workshop organised by Indian Council of Agricultural Research at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, Union Agriclture Minister said there is lack of educational institutes in terms of promoting agriculture in the country.

The government has decided to open agricultural education institute soon at Jharkhand and Assam, he said, adding that a university would be set up at Bundelkhand.

Singh said the government would spend about Rs 568 crore to distribute soil health cards to 14.50 crore farmers of the country. This work would be completed by the next three years.

A sum of Rs 86 crore has already been approved this year for these cards, he added.

Meanwhile, Haryana Agriculture minister Om Prakash Dhankar said that excellence centres in every district for horticulture in Haryana will be opened to provide better marketing for the farmers.

Meanwhile, the Union Agriculture Minister accused previous Congress-led government in Haryana of not fully spending the central funds released for agriculture.

“Previous state government which would not tire of swearing by the welfare of farmers, did not spend a large amount of central funds released for their welfare. These have been found unspent in Haryana,” an official release quoting the union minister said here.

Presiding over a meeting of officers of the agriculture and allied departments here, Singh urged them to submit reports on the funds utilised under various schemes on a daily basis to the Centre to ensure their speedy implementation in the interest of the farming community.

While reviewing the progress of various schemes, including National Food Security Mission, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, Rainfed Area Development Programme, Soil Health Management, Soil Health Card, Submission of Agriculture Extension, he asked the officers to update themselves on the utilisation of funds on them on a daily basis.

The Union Minister said that a group of 50 farmers should be sent to the National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad, for training and skill development.

The distribution of fertiliser should be linked with soil health cards to curb its overuse and misuse, the Haryana Agriculture minister said.

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