Spark News India Igniting Minds Daily
In an effort to diversify its agricultural base and encourage horticulture in the state with limited water resources, the AAP-led Punjab government plans to offer financial incentives to farmers who use drip irrigation to establish fruit orchards.
According to Shailender Kaur, director of horticulture, the department is anticipating funding to be allocated in the state budget 2024–25 for the purpose of rewarding farmers who plant fruit orchards. The budget will be presented in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday.
As stated by Kaur, the idea is to increase the area utilised for fruit growing while protecting groundwater. Crop diversification, however, is more difficult to implement in regions where farmers are enmeshed in the wheat-paddy cycle.
Similar risk mitigation measures, such as the “Bhaav Antar Bhugtan Yojana,” which the AAP administration promised in the budget for 2023–2024 to guarantee vegetable growers receive a minimum compensation, is still being considered.
