Haryana farmers to get solar-powered irrigation clusters, says CM Nayab Singh Saini

Chandigarh. Haryana will set up irrigation clusters of 100, 200 and 500 acres, each with a large water reservoir and solar-powered pumps, so that more fields can be watered with less water, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Thursday.

Speaking at a Krishi Sammelan at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Saini said each reservoir will hold enough water to meet the cluster’s irrigation needs for about a month. Solar pumps will carry the water to the fields through sprinkler systems, which he said would help raise yields.

The Chief Minister said raising farmers’ incomes, cutting farming costs and getting farmers to grow new crops are his government’s top priorities. He said Haryana’s farmers work hard to fill the nation’s granaries, and that this has given the state a distinct identity in agriculture.

Saini said work is under way on about 2,000 ponds under the Amrit Sarovar scheme. New ponds are being dug and old ones revived to store rainwater and raise groundwater levels. Canals and drains are also being repaired so that less water is wasted.

He said five states had reached an agreement on the Renukaji, Kishau and Lakhwar dam projects under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh will get water from these projects, he said.

Saini claimed Haryana is the first state in the country to guarantee procurement of all crops at the minimum support price (MSP). He said this is meant to encourage farmers to grow other crops and to depend less on crops that need a lot of water, such as paddy.

On natural farming, the Chief Minister said about 1.5 lakh hectares have been registered on the state portal and natural farming is now practised on around 45,000 hectares. Panchayat land that can be farmed and land owned by the Agriculture Department will be leased to farmers for 10 years for natural farming. HAFED will buy naturally grown foodgrains in mandis after laboratory testing. An agreement has also been reached with farmers in Morni block to buy such produce directly from their farms. A 2,000-acre natural farming cluster has been announced in Kurukshetra.

Saini said soil testing at district and block-level laboratories, covering the land of about 40 lakh to 45 lakh farmers, shows how much fertiliser and pesticide each field needs.

He said the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana protects horticulture farmers against losses from low market prices. He also said small and marginal farmers get ₹6,000 a year under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme to help pay for seeds, fertilisers and crop protection chemicals. He added that the Centre and the Haryana government are running several farmer welfare schemes together.