State gets first instalment of `28.5 cr for horticulture plan
Monday, 01/12/2014
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=119975&boxid=58754&uid=&dat=2014-12-01
Chandigarh : Punjab government has received a grant of Rs 28.50 crore as first instalment of the annual action plan to be implemented under National Horticulture Mission (NHM). Union Agriculture Ministry has already approved an annual action plan of Rs 82.50 crore for the state under the NHM in the current financial year to promote agriculture diversification programme in the agrarian state.
Disclosing this, here on Sunday, a spokesperson of the Horticulture Department said that under this plan, funds would be provided for setting up and maintenance of orchards, floriculture and bee-keeping besides installation of community water tanks, green house, cold stores and pack houses.
He said that the approval of the action plan would help in motivating the farmers to shift from paddy to other less-water intensive alternate crops like bee-keeping, mushroom-cultivation flowers, fruits and vegetables besides providing the required machinery and farm equipment to the cultivators. He said that the Punjab government was taking concrete steps to strengthen the infrastructure for the preservation of the fruits and vegetables, which include establishing two centres of excellence in the state, including Centre of Excellence for Citrus at Khanaura in Hoshiarpur district at a cost of Rs 10.3 crore and Centre of Excellence for Vegetables at Kartarpur in Jalandhar district at a cost of Rs 9.73 crore.
He revealed that three Centres of Excellence on Potatoes at Dhogri Kalan in Jalandhar district at a cost of Rs 7.3 crore, Centre of Excellence on Floriculture at Doraha in Ludhiana at a cost of Rs 8 crore and Centre of Excellence for utilisation of brackish water for utilising horticulture crop like fruits and vegetables at PAU research station in Bathinda at a cost of Rs 14.96 crore would also be set up soon.
He also said that besides National Vegetable Initiative (NVI), a subsidiary scheme of RKVY, has also been implemented in five districts of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Sangrur, Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib, under which the Centre has approved Rs 6 crore in the current fiscal. He said that to give big boost to the horticulture in the state by undertaking extensive research and extension services, a concrete proposal for the expansion of litchi and peer estates was also prepared.
Besides, two proposals have been sent under the RKVY for establishing two sub-centers of the citrus estates at Maur in Bathinda and Kotkapura in Faridkot. These centres would be provided all the facilities extended to the citrus estates, he said.
