Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Haryana first state in country where maximum crops are purchased on MSP: Shyam Singh Rana
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, March 21, 2025: Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister 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.
Government working to double the income of farmers
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.
Farmers who give up paddy will get assistance of Rs 8000 per acre
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.
Natural farming will get a boost
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.
He stressed that this method will not only provide chemical-free food to human health, nutritious fodder will also be available for animals and the rate of diseases will decrease.
Highlighting the benefits of natural farming, he said in this method chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used and farming is done through natural resources and beneficial microorganisms.
This is an environmentally friendly method, which is beneficial for both farmers and the environment along with reducing the cost of cultivation.
Farmers' income doubled in 2024 as compared to 2014
Responding to a question, the Agriculture Minister said the income of farmers from mustard, wheat and paddy crops in the year 2014 has doubled in 2024.He attributed this achievement to the important decisions taken under the leadership of the Prime Minister and Chief Minister.
The Cabinet Minister further said that the Chief Minister has written a letter to the Central Government demanding subsidy on essential agricultural equipment.Apart from this, the Haryana Government has recently passed many important bills in the interest of farmers during the budget session.