NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST/BEFORE  30th June  2008

            Agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Himachal Pradesh and it plays an important role in the economy of the State. It provides direct employment to more than 70 percent of the total population of the State. Agriculture and its allied sectors contribute about 20 percent to total Gross State Domestic Product. Out of total geographical area of 55.67 lakh hectare of the State, only an area of 5.83 lakh hectare is being cultivated, out of which 36 percent has the facility of irrigation.
            The Government of Himachal Pradesh is laying emphasis on strengthening agriculture and allied sectors in the State. The State Government has earmarked an outlay of Rs. 548.13 crore for agriculture and irrigation sector for the current financial year. Keeping in view the direct link of agriculture with rural economy, the Government has made a provision of Rs. 116.68 crore for Rural development and rural employment activities, thereby making a total provision of Rs 664.81 crore for agriculture and rural sectors, which is 28 percent of the total plan size.
          The State Government has prepared comprehensive plan to provide irrigation facilities to maximum agricultural land. It is the endeavour of the Government to obtain technical and financial support of NABARD for this purpose. The Department of Irrigation and Public Health would prepare district wise plans by analyzing existing potential of irrigation scheme and the area actually covered under these schemes, so that the farming community could properly be benefited by the already created irrigation schemes.
            The department of Agriculture would coordinate with IPH Department for preparing comprehensive District Agriculture and Irrigation plans. The Department of Rural Development and Agriculture University Palampur would also provide necessary help and technical expertise in this endeavour. The State Government is making all out efforts to popularize the latest means of irrigation, like sprinkler and drip, as such techniques of irrigation, consumes very less quantity of water. The Departments of Agriculture, Forest, Rural Development and Irrigation and Public Health are giving priority to rain water harvesting for flow irrigation since the current practices of lift irrigation involve huge expenditure cost on account of high-energy charges.
                The State Government has decided to provide free soil-testing facility to the farmers, so as to advise them about latest farming techniques for raising high value crops including fruits, off season vegetables and medicinal herbs. The Agriculture Department is issuing, one lakh Soil Health Cards to farmers during the year, 2008. Keeping in view the success of such cards, the Department would provide such Soil Health cards to all 16 lakh farmers during the next five years. In order to boost agriculture production, in the state target has been set to provide 9.15 lac tonnes of food grains during the current Kharif season which includes production target of 7.74 lac tonnes for maize and 1.19 lac tonnes for paddy. In addition to this, 6 thousand tones of oilseeds, 1.56 lac tonnes of potato and 6.84 lac tones of vegetables will also be produced in the State. An area of 4.69 lac hectare would be brought under the current Kharif crops season in the state. The Department has arranged inputs commensuration to these targets, which include 23,000 quintals improved seeds, 20500 tonnes fertilizers nutrients, 100 quintals bio-fertilizer, 95 tonnes insecticides and 50,000 improved farm implements/machinery. In order to ensure the quality of agriculture inputs, 1000 fertilizer samples, 150 insecticides samples and 600 seed samples would be drawn and tested in various laboratories in the State .
              State Government has introduced a scheme under which cash prizes would be provided to progressive farmers at State, district and Block levels. The Market Intervention Scheme is being implemented in the State and support price of citrus fruits have been enhanced by 50 paise per kg. Procurement price of milk procured by milkfed has been raised by Rs 2 per litre which would directly benefit the farmers of the State by ensuring of remunerative prices for their milk. The State Government has decided to include ginger crop of Sirmaur district in the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme on experimental basis to fulfill the demand of farmers. The scheme, which provides compensation to farmers in case of losses during natural disasters. The Insurance Scheme would continue during the current kharif season for maize, paddy and potato crops.
              The Government has also decided to pay 50 percent premium under agriculture insurance scheme. In order to strengthen the extension activities of Agriculture and Horticulture departments more than 300 posts of Development officers and extension officers would be filled up during the current financial year. The economy of the State is largely dependent on agriculture and allied sectors as still it occupies a significant role in the economy of the Himachal Pradesh. The State Government is making its all out efforts to boost the agriculture and its allied sectors in a big way.