Farm mechanisation is need of hour: Himachal CM

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said today that farm mechanisation was the need of the hour to ensure prosperity of the farming community.

Inaugurating a two-day national workshop on challenges and opportunities in crop diversification' organised by the Agriculture Department here, he said, "Despite limited financial resources, the state government has proposed several new schemes for all-round and equitable development of the state and its farming community.

He said that a large number of new schemes had been launched for irrigation, agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors to "ensure prosperity of the farming community".

"Farm mechanisation is the need of the hour, but many farmers are not able to purchase implements such as tractors, power weeders and power tillers etc. The government proposes to establish custom hiring centres in the state from where farmers can get these implements on rent," the chief minister said.

Thakur said that there was vast potential for cultivation of off-season vegetables and fruits and that the state government had created 59 market yards to ensure remunerative prices of farm produce.

The chief minister said the Himachal Pradesh Crop Diversification Promotion Project was bound to increase farm income.