Chandigarh, June 25
In view of the sharply shooting prices of vegetables, the Haryana Government sees an opportunity to encourage farmers to diversify cropping pattern and to be less dependent on the wheat-paddy rotation. The prices of vegetables like tomatoes, peas and bottle gourd have touched a record high, promising a high return to the cultivators of vegetables.
Since Haryana surrounds Delhi from three sides, the marketing of vegetables should not pose a problem because the national capital is one of the largest consumers of fresh vegetables. The government also plans to set up a cold chain in the National Capital Region to store perishable agriculture commodities.
The Haryana Horticulture Department has set a target to bring 2.50 lakh hectares under cultivation of vegetables and raise their production to 34.50 lakh tonnes during the current financial year.
The Director, Horticulture, Mr R.K. Khullar, says as a result of the efforts made by the state government, 14 districts of the state had been brought under the National Horticulture Mission so as to promote horticulture in a big way. He said Rs 30.15 crore had been earmarked under the National Horticulture Mission during the current financial year and Rs 39.65 crore for 2007-08 so as to undertake various activities of horticulture in the state.
He said 31,103 hectares of area would be brought under fruit cultivation to get a production of 2.40 lakh tonnes during the current financial year. There was also a plan to produce 28,000 tonnes of flowers by bringing 5200 hectares under their cultivation and produce 6500 tonnes of mushroom from 11 lakh trays. Another 10,000 hectares would be brought under cultivation of spices to get a production of 45,000 tonnes and 9500 hectares would be brought under cultivation of medicinal and ornamental plants.
Mr Khullar said an ambitious project of drip irrigation, known as micro irrigation, had been forwarded to the Union Government for its assistance to ensure optimum utilisation of water. Under this scheme, about 2000 hectares would be brought under irrigation by providing 50 per cent subsidy. He said 10 lakh saplings of good quality would be produced at the nursaries of the department during the current financial year and provided to farmers at a nominal rate. The farmers were also being motivated to use new technologies of shednet, green house and poly house to cultivate off-season plants.
To reduce load on traditional farming, Haryana has decided to promote dairy and poultry industries and animal husbandry also. It has set a target to produce 54.74 lakh metric tonnes of milk, 17.64 crore eggs and 13.44 lakh kg wool during the current financial year. Haryana, with 660 grams of availability of milk per capita per day ranks at number two in the country as against the national average of 232 grams.
The Planning Department has sanctioned Rs 22 crore for implementation of various schemes of the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department during the current financial year.
