Haryana govt to launch programme for farmers

Haryana government has deicided to launch a Rs 510 crore project to boost infrastructure-related facilities for farmers with a focus on 'Baagwani Villages', Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister O P Dhankar said today.
The 'Crop Cluster Development Programme on Farm and Marketing Support to Horticulture Farmers' in 2016-17 would be executed in three years during which infrastructure-related facilities would be created with a focus on Baagwani Villages.
Dhankar said the project would be undertaken as part of the Swarna Jayanti celebrations in the state.
The project aims at collectivising farmers, especially small producers, at various levels, fostering technology penetration, improving productivity, enabling improved access to inputs and services, and increasing farmer incomes, thereby strengthening their sustainable agriculture-based livelihood.

It also aims at ensuring suitable market availability, both domestic and international.
Issues such as aggregation of produce, market linkages, grading, packing and standards, sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, pesticide residues, microbiological contamination and market access would be addressed through the project.
It would help in finding a way out of such problems as direct approach to targeted beneficiaries, improvement in quality, grades and standards, improvement in post-harvest management and increase in bargaining power of farmers, he said.