23.12.08

Himachal gives a boost to agriculture


The Himachal Pradesh government has sanctioned a Rs 155-crore agriculture project for production of cash crops by adopting latest precision farming practices by constructing around 30,000 poly houses throughout the state during the next four years.The project is expected to usher in rapid and faster growth in the field of agriculture by strengthening the economy of the farmers, who hitherto have been depending on the traditional crop pattern. The project envisages higher production of various cash crops thus ensuring remunerative prices to their yield. Starting this month, the project will be implemented in next 4 years with Rs 117.32 crore be allocated as subsidy to the farmers while Rs 37.6 crore would be borne by the beneficiaries.
The project components include construction of poly houses with sprinkler and drip irrigation system through agriculture department of the state. Along with high production of cash crops,judicious use of natural resources like land and water, availability of vegetables throughout the year together with quality produce ensuring better fiscal benefits to farmers are the highlights of this project. Emphasis would be laid on providing sprinkler and drip irrigation facilities in the poly houses for which farmers shall be provided 80% subsidy up to 1,000 sq meter and 20% would be the contribution of the beneficiaries. Besides, the farmers will be provided 50% financial backup for creation of water poly houses like farm poly houses, farm yanks, shallow wells, pumping wells, pumping sets, and small water lifting sources. Around 2,650 tanks, wells and pumps will be constructed in which both the beneficiaries and the state government will bear equal expenditure.Around 28,820 poly houses will be constructed for producing cash crops.In all,these poly houses, micro irrigation system will be constructed during the project period covering an area of 14.70 lakh square meter. Depending upon the area and the site,different models of the poly houses ranging from low-cost tunnel, low-cost poly houses made up of local material and medium-cos tpolyhouses of standard material will be constructed.
Over and above, about 6,000 youths are expected to get gainful employment during the project period, alongwith 1,000 rural artisans, whose services will be taken to construct these polyhouses under the supervision of the experts.The implementation of this project will not only facilitate vegetable production in extreme climatic conditions throughout the year,but will also ensure increase in production and productivity of vegetables under protective cultivation system.

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