Maize flour ‘Himbhog’ produced via natural farming to be launched
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu yesterday said that the state government would soon introduce maize flour produced through natural farming under the brand name ‘Himbhog’.
He said that more than 4,000 quintals of maize had been procured from 1,506 farmer families practising natural farming in the state, with the exception of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts. The highest procurement was done in Solan district (1,140 quintals), followed by Chamba (810 quintals) and Mandi (650 quintals), he added.
The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh was the first state in India to offer the highest minimum support price (MSP) for wheat and maize. “The government is providing Rs 40 per kg for wheat and Rs 30 per kg for maize produced through natural farming. The government is promoting natural farming on 35,000 hectares, benefiting 1.98 lakh farmers,” he added.
Sukhu said that free certification had been provided to over 1.5 lakh farmers and an additional 36,000 farmers were being connected with natural farming. He added the government had strengthened infrastructure at 10 mandis to facilitate the marketing of natural farming produce so that people did not have to face inconvenience while selling these.
He said that the government was also focusing on linking agriculture with employment through phase-III of the Rajiv Gandhi Start-Up Yojana that had been started with a budget of Rs 680 crore. He emphasised the importance of agriculture and horticulture in the state’s economy and said that about 90 per cent of the population of the state was residing in villages so initiatives were required to strengthen the rural economy.
