New agriculture policy to be out next month

CHANDIGARH: Union Minister of State for Agriculture Mohan ji Kalyan ji Bhai Kundriya today said a new agriculture policy is expected to be out in the month of April, which will have provision for compensating farmers for losses due to natural calamities.

"A new agriculture policy is being framed which is expected to be out in the month of April. The policy will contain provision of compensating the damages in crops due to natural calamities like hailstorm and unseasonal torrential rains," said the minister on the concluding day of the three-day Agri Leadership Summit in Gurgaon.

The minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also laid stress that financial condition of farmers should be improved, said a statement.

Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki while addressing farmers said Haryana has emerged as "sports power" at national level, besides becoming a "hub of education".

Governor said with the hard work being put in by farmers, Haryana will be a front ranking state in the field of agriculture as well.

The Union Minister of state for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gujjar said that the summit provided platform to the farmers and agriculture scientists to discuss various agriculture related issues and share their ideas.

"Now time has come when the farmers should learn new techniques to earn more from less land holdings. They will have to learn food processing of agriculture products and have to replace chemical fertilisers with organic ones," he said.

He said that the Central Government will organise mega camps for empowerment of physically challenged persons in all the ten parliamentary constituencies of Haryana.

Gujjar also lambasted the opposition parties and said that those who have allegedly grabbed the lands of the framers during their tenure, were now posing as well wishers of farmers.

He appealed to the farmers to be vigilant of such posers. Haryana Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar said the government is considering insurance of crops so that the farmers get compensated for the damages due to hailstorm or other natural calamity.

The effect of natural calamity will be on the government and not on farmers. Not only this, even if the farmers produce is sold at rates less than the Minimum Support Price (MSP), the farmer will get compensated, said Dhankar.