Chandigarh, July 3 – Mr.Paramvir Singh, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister, Haryana today said that Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh would give away an award to Haryana for its best performance in wheat production in the country.
Mr.Paramvir Singh, who was addressing the farmers after laying the foundation stone of a Rs one crore soil and water testing laboratory at Fatehabad today, said that 10 lakh farmers of the state had been issued soil and water health cards after testing their soil and water. As many as 60,000 farmers in district Fatehabad had been issued such cards.He said that Haryana was the first state to give soil and water health cards to the farmers in the state. Test for pesticides, seeds and BT cotton seeds would also be undertaken in this laboratory besides soil and water test. Mobile water and soil testing van had also been available in the district to provide soil and water testing facility to the farmers at their fields. Summer moong had been grown over and area of 40 lakh hectares in the state to promote diversification of crops. Summer moong matured in about 65 days and it yielded good income to the farmers besides improving soil fertility.
While lauding the farmers for their significant role the Minister said that farmers had been given maximum prizes for their produce during Congress rule.“The Chief Minister, Mr.Bhupinder Singh Hooda is farmer friendly and he had implemented a number of welfare schemes for the farmers which included waiver off outstanding power bills to the tune of Rs.1600 crore, waiver off loan amounting to Rs.830 crore, reducing rate of interest on cooperative loans from 11 per cent to four per cent, abolition of draconian law of arresting farmers in default of payment of their loans. There is no difference in words and deeds of the Chief Minister. The farmers of the state are happy and economically prosperous,” he added.
He said that the Agriculture Department of the state was committed to the welfare of the farmers. Subsidy up to 90 per cent was being provided to the farmers on agricultural implements. He appealed to the farmers to come forward to take benefit of the schemes introduced by the state government for their welfare. To provide quality seeds and fertilizers to the farmers was the avowed endeavor of the state government. The farmers were being encouraged to adopt Israel farming technology. As many as 16 plants were being set up with Israel’s farm technology in the state. One such plant had already been made functional at Gharaunda. Any kind of fraud with the farmers would not be tolerated at any cost. The dealers of pesticides, seeds and fertilizers should make available quality inputs to the farmers so as to increase farm production in the state, he added.