Haryana shows way with crop diversification; farmers export to Norway, Dubai
By Our Special Correspondent
Chandigarh, May 5: Haryana is without abundant water resources, and yet the state ironically leads the country in paddy cultivation. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar sought to bring fundamental change in state’s agriculture to incentivise farmers’ to leave paddy cultivation.
In the village Atterna in Sonipat district, farmers have come together to form farmers producers organization (FPOs). Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 had launched a plan to promote 10000 FPOs in the country. Haryana government unveiled ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’ scheme in 2020.
“Haryana has limited water resources. Mera Pani Meri Virasat was launched to ensure that the future generations are not deprived of the water resources. South Haryana in fact is water deficient. We have to conserve water, and encourage farmers to wuit water intensive farming,” said Khattar during an interaction with a select group of journalists in Chandigarh.
The FPO in Atterna village now has command area of over 2500 hectare of agricultural land, which is now committed to short duration crops after quitting paddy cultivation. Farmers with an investment of Rs 4 crores have set up a food processing unit to package tomato puree, mushroom, babycorn and sweetcorn, while earning Rs 10 crores annually.
“We are exporting our produces to Norway and Dubai. We also soon be exporting to other European countries,” said Kunwar Singh Chouhan, a farmer.
Khattar is confident that more farmers will quit paddy cultivation. “Since the launch of the scheme, over 1.74 lakh acre of agricultural land has been diversified from paddy to other crops. The state government has spent over Rs 117.22 crores, paid directly into the bank accounts of the farmers on the basis of the details fed by them on the portal as part of the compensation scheme of Rs 7000 per acre, which is also given even if the land is kept fallow,” said a senior official of the state government.
With farmers shifting away from paddy cultivation, which requires flooding of the land, Sonipat district is abutted with poly houses where even the leafy vegetables are being grown to tap the growing market. The roadside in the district also reveals sunflower plantation.
“The scheme pays Rs 7000 per acre for the cultivation of maize, cotton, Kharif oilseeds, Kharif onion, fodder, Eucalyptus, poplar and even fallow land as compensation. The government doesn’t procure anything, and the amount is paid as incentives,” added the official.
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