Hry aims to double horticulture area to 22 lakh acres by 2030

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the state government is constantly working to expand the horticulture sector. The government has set an aim of doubling horticultural area to 22 lakh acres by 2030, from the current 7 per cent of total cultivated land, and triple the production.

For this, subsidies are offered to farmers under various schemes. In the financial year 2022-23, a subsidy of Rs 166.20 crore was distributed to 25,000 beneficiaries under various horticulture schemes, shared Khattar while interacting with progressive farmers producing vegetables and fruits through audio conferencing held here Saturday.

During the ‘samvad’, progressive farmers thanked the CM and said that the government is truly concerned for the welfare of farmers. Farmers said that the type of new programmes that the present government has initiated for them, in addition to the reduction in the cost of agriculture, have ensured that the output has maximum access to the market. The government has provided significant aid to farmers by launching innovative schemes, the farmers said.

Besides this, the CM suspended a horticulture officer for taking bribe, while in another case, an explanation letter was issued to the horticulture development officer for being clueless about the scheme run by his department. During the samvad, a farmer raised a complaint that horticulture officer Shyam Singh of Ferozepur Jhirka block of Nuh had demanded a bribe of Rs 7,000 from him. Taking immediate cognizance of this, Khattar issued immediate suspension orders for the said officer.