DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana, while giving suggestions in the Union Pre-Budget meeting, said to increase the production of sugarcane crop, sugarcane sowing and harvesting machines should be made available to farmers on subsidy so that sugarcane can be grown instead of paddy, adding that this will also help in saving water.

Shyam Singh Rana said this via videoconferencing in the suggestion meeting on agriculture and horticulture chaired by Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Sh. Shivraj Singh Chouhan with agriculture ministers of all the states. Shyam Singh Rana said to promote horticulture, there is a need to create small clusters of 40 to 50 hectares and at the same time, a scheme should be made for fencing the orchards of horticultural farmers, adding that grants should be given so that the orchards are not damaged. He also said mandis should be made for natural farming crops and crop testing labs should be set up in them.

He said Haryana has been a pioneer in the Green Revolution and will also be a pioneer in natural farming, which is the current demand of the agriculture sector.

Thanking the Union Minister for approving the National Mission on Natural Farming, he said it will prove to be a milestone in improving the quality of food items. He said at present there is a lack of specification and standardization in the natural farming sector.

He requested the Union Minister to direct the central agricultural institutes to work on whether natural farming is to be certified on the basis of quality of agricultural produce or farming process or both.

He also drew the attention of the Union Minister towards the pollution caused by burning of crop residues. The state has made tremendous progress in controlling the incidents of farm fires. This year, there has been a further reduction of 40 per cent and the incidents of farm fires in Haryana were limited to less than 700. The Government of India was requested to give more funds to the state under so that the state can eliminate the incidents of farm fires.

(editor@dailyworld.in)