Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, OP Dhankar on Monday said that farmers of the state will get a benefit of about Rs 6,000 to Rs 18,000 per acre after Central Government approved a steep rise in the minimum support price of crops, giving farmers the promised 50 per cent return on input costs.
Apart from this, compensation amounting to Rs 3,257 crore has so far been given to farmers during the tenure of present State Government to make farming a risk-free venture, said Dhankar while talking to the mediapersons here.
He said that increase in minimum support price (MSP) of crops as approved by the Central Government would benefit the paddy farmers of Haryana with Rs 6,000 per acre, cotton farmers with Rs 8,000 per acre and bajra farmers with Rs 7800 per acre.
Due to the increase in MSP, Haryana would get Rs 1500 crore which includes Rs 1200 crore for paddy and Rs 300 crore for other crops, said the Minister.
Spelling out the achievements of his Department, the Minister said that the State Government has given compensation of about Rs 491 crore to farmers under Fasal Bima Yojana. Compensation amounting to Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000 per acre has been given to farmers through Revenue and Disaster Management Department.
During 2015, Rs 1092 crore was given for wheat crops and Rs 276 crore for cotton crops. Apart from this, the compensation amounting to Rs 268 crore pending from the tenure of the previous government was also given to farmers by the present State Government, he added.
When asked about the number of farmers benefitted from crop insurance schemes, he said that more than three laks farmers of the state have been benefitted.
He further said that the present Central Government has been increasing the MSP of crops from time to time as a result of which the average income of farmers has reached up to Rs 11,000 per acre.
The farmers of Haryana have got enhanced income of Rs 7,335 crore, he added.
Dhankar also said that 54 mandis in the state have been linked with e-NAM. The crops not procured by government are being purchased through e-NAM. Apart from this, new mandis are also being developed.
The largest mandi of the country to set up over 600 acres in Gannaur, would be constructed through special purpose vehicle for which approval has been given by the Cabinet, he said.
The Minister added that Haryana’s first flower mandi would be set up with the assistance of Netherlands over 8.62 acres in Sector 52, Gurugram.
He said that apple mandi has been set up at Sector 20, Panchkula and in order to further expand it, there is a provision to set up new and modern apple mandi over 75 acres land of HMT, he added.
About the problem of burning of crop residue, Dhankar said that a sum of Rs 65 crore was spent on prevention of crop residue burning. As many as 6338 farmers were given agricultural equipment for disposal of crop residue last year. This year, equipment for this purpose would be given to 5563 farmers and 900 groups for which a budget of Rs 150 crore has been earmarked, he added.
He also said that 2863 hectare saline and waterlogged land of 14,282 farmers have been reclaimed with a sum of Rs 21 crore. This year, a target has been set to reclaim 2,186 hectare land of over 2,100 farmers, he added.

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