Haryana farmers to get benefit of Rs 6,000-18,000 per acre post MSP hike: minister

Farmers in Haryana will get a benefit of about Rs 6,000-18,000 per acre following a hike in MSP of kharif crops, state agriculture minister O P Dhankar said today said.

"Increase in Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops as approved by the Central government will benefit the paddy farmers of Haryana with Rs 6,000 per acre, cotton farmers with Rs 18,000 per acre and bajra farmers with Rs 7,800 per acre," Dhankar said here today.

He said due to the increase in MSP, Haryana would get benefit of Rs 1,500 crore which includes Rs 1,200 crore for paddy and Rs 300 crore for other crops.

The minister said the farming in Haryana is the most risk-free occupation in the country.

Elaborating, he said 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 1,092 crore were 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 said.

Dhankar said there were some challenges facing the farming sector which needed to be turned into opportunities.

Water availability was the biggest challenge. Under Atal BhuJal Yojana, Rs 712 crore has been allotted to Haryana for a period of five years for this purpose. As many as 36 blocks of Haryana are highly water exploited and to promote micro irrigation in these areas, the state government has been giving a grant up to 85 per cent.

He said 1.30 lakh hectare area in the state falls under micro irrigation. Apart from this, pipelines have been laid on one lakh hectare area for irrigation thereby increasing the irrigated area. A sum of Rs 75 crore has been given for such areas, he added.

Dhankar said 54 mandis in the state have been linked with e-NAM.

Apart from this, new mandis are also being developed. The largest mandi of the country being set up over 600 acres in Gannaur, would be constructed through special purpose vehicle for which approval had been given by the Cabinet.

He said that Haryana's first flower mandi would be set up with the assistance of the Netherlands over 8.62 acres in Sector 52, Gurugram.