DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Sh. Shyam Singh Rana said Haryana is the first state in the country where maximum crops are being purchased at Minimum Support Price (MSP). He said this on the occasion of the launch of mustard procurement at the Radaur grain market in Yamunanagar district. This year, mustard is being purchased at the minimum support price of Rs 5950 per quintal.

The Agriculture Minister interacted with the commission agents in the grain market and took stock of mustard lifting, packaging availability and other problems. He told the commission agents that if they have any kind of problem, they should immediately inform the government so that it can be resolved on time.

The Cabinet Minister instructed the officials that farmers should not face any problem in selling the crop and the procurement work should be completed soon. He also warned that strict action will be taken against any officer or employee if he is negligent in his work. He asked them to ensure that proper facilities are provided to farmers, traders and workers in the mandis. He informed that he himself had requested Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini to start mustard procurement as soon as possible. Taking immediate cognizance of this request, the Chief Minister approved to start procurement from March 15.

After the programme, the Agriculture Minister also visited Ladwa and Indri grain markets and inspected the procurement operations.

Talking to the media after the programme, Rana said the BJP government is making continuous efforts to solve the problems of farmers and double their income. He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi and under the guidance of Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, the government is protecting the interests of farmers. The Agriculture Minister appealed to the farmers to conserve water, adopt crop diversification, protect the environment and avoid stubble burning. He advised the farmers to adopt coarse grains instead of water-intensive crops and said that the government will provide all possible assistance in this regard.

The Agriculture Minister announced that the Haryana Government has made a provision in the budget for the year 2025-26 to give a grant amount of Rs 8,000 per acre to those farmers who will give up paddy cultivation and grow other crops.

Apart from this, the subsidy given for direct sowing of paddy (DSR) has also been increased from Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500 per acre.

He said being a farmer himself, he advises farmers to cultivate mustard, moong and urad, as these crops increase soil fertility and improve nitrogen levels. Sh. Rana said it is important for every citizen to promote natural farming. He said the Haryana Government has set a target to increase the area under natural farming from 25,000 acres to 1 lakh acres in the budget for 2025-26.

(editor@dailyworld.in)