Strengthen marketing of farm produce: Union Agri Minister

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today stressed on strengthening of marketing of farm produce to ensure increase in income of farmers.
Allied sectors of agriculture like horticulture, diary, and fisheries should be promoted and diversification of the crops especially their proper marketing is essential to ensure to increase the income of farmers, the minister said at an event here.
He said that the final draft of Irrigation Policy has been prepared and the same will be implemented in all the states.
This policy will be able to provide water to every district and work for everybody, he said.
On the opening of horticulture university in Haryana, the union minister said it will be opened soon in consultation with the state government.

Addressing the gathering in a two day workshop organised by Indian Council of Agricultural Research at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, Union Agriclture Minister said there is lack of educational institutes in terms of promoting agriculture in the country.

The government has decided to open agricultural education institute soon at Jharkhand and Assam, he said, adding that a university would be set up at Bundelkhand.
Singh said the government would spend about Rs 568 crore to distribute soil health cards to 14.50 crore farmers of the country. This work would be completed by the next three years.
A sum of Rs 86 crore has already been approved this year for these cards, he added.

Meanwhile, Haryana Agriculture minister Om Prakash Dhankar said that excellence centres in every district for horticulture in Haryana will be opened to provide better marketing for the farmers.