Dec 15, 2024 (MENAFN via COMTEX) --
(MENAFN - IANS) Shimla, Dec 15 (IANS) To strengthen the rural economy, the Himachal Pradesh government has fixed the highest support price for wheat and maize, besides promoting natural farming.
Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in India to purchase wheat at Rs 40 per kg and maize at Rs 30 per kg from farmers engaged in natural farming, an official statement said on Sunday.
This initiative not only uplifts farmers financially but also champions eco-friendly agricultural practices.
The government has procured 398 metric tonnes of naturally grown maize from 1,508 farmers so far. A total of Rs 1.19 crore has been directly transferred to their bank accounts.
To promote natural farming, the government has launched Him Bhog-Him Makki Atta in the market. Farmers are further assured of a stable income, with a commitment to purchase up to 20 quintals of maize from each family growing produce through natural farming.
The government also launched the Rajiv Gandhi Natural Farming Start-up Yojana as part of the Rs 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi Start-up Scheme. This scheme is also integrating agriculture with employment generation.
This year alone, 36,000 farmers have joined natural farming, adding to 1.98 lakh farmers already cultivating over 35,000 hectares.
Free certification has been provided to 1.50 lakh farmers, reinforcing the government's commitment to making natural farming a commercially viable model, said the statement.
The government has also launched a Rs 1,292 crore scheme for horticulture and irrigation projects in seven districts.
In parallel, infrastructure is being developed in 10 market yards to facilitate the sale of natural farming products that is providing farmers with better access to markets and ensuring fair prices for their produce.
The initiatives also extend to the dairy sector. With this, Himachal became the first state to fix a minimum support price for milk, increasing rates to Rs 45 per litre for cow milk and Rs 55 per litre for buffalo milk.
A state-of-the-art milk processing plant with a capacity of 50,000 liters per day has been inaugurated in Dattanagar, benefitting over 20,000 dairy farmers.
Besides, a fully automated milk and milk product processing plant is being established at Dhagwar in Kangra district. Plants with 20,000 liters per day capacity are set to be established in Kullu, Nahan and Nalagarh, while modern milk chilling plants are being planned for Una and Hamirpur.
Milfed is currently procuring 2 lakh liters of milk daily and, as a pioneering initiative, goat milk is being purchased at Rs 70 per liter in Una district.
Also, Rs 500 crore Him Ganga scheme has been launched to enhance milk production in the state. Over the past two years, approximately 26,000 below-poverty-line farmers have received a 50 per cent subsidy on feed for pregnant cattle, providing significant support to the dairy sector.
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COMTEX_460892905/2604/2024-12-15T19:49:44
