Horticulture on rise in Haryana
Chandigarh, Sep 22 (UNI) With the Haryana Horticulture Department taking several steps to encourage the farmers to diversify their crops, the land under horticulture crop has now reached to about 5.01 per cent of the total cultivated area of the state as compared to 4.9 per cent in 2006-07.
''There is continual and steady increase in the area under horticulture crop in the state which is a healthy sign,'' Agriculture Minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha said here today.
The farmers, he said, have been encouraged to grow vegetables, which resulted in the area coverage under vegetable cultivation to 2,74,580 hectares in 2007-08.
The Minister said the farmers are also taking keen interest in replacing their traditional crops by other commercial horticulture crops such as flowers and spices which are more remunerative.
He said a target of 40,410 hectares of area has been fixed under fruit production for the current financial year, of which 36,375 hectares had already been brought under cultivation till the last month end.
Similarly, total fruit production target has been fixed at 2,75,000 tonnes for the year, of which 1,13,300 tonnes of production has already been achieved.
Mr Chatha said the target of area and production under flowers for the current financial year have been fixed at 6,000 hectares and 65,000 tonnes, respectively, of which 2,078 hectares and 2,192 tonnes have been achieved up to August.
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