SHIMLA, May 28 (PTI): The Himachal Pradesh government will promote integrated and holistic agricultural activities under the ‘Him Unnati’ scheme which seeks to double the income of the farmers through use of innovative technology, officials said on Sunday.
An integrated action plan with special focus on the use of technology in the agriculture sector is prepared and 2,603 clusters will be formed in the state.
Presently, 889 clusters have been identified across the state. About 58,278 bighas (around 36,412 acres) of land will be covered under this scheme benefiting 28,873 families in the state, a statement issued here said.
To ensure productive utilisation of the various crops grown in the state, the Himachal government focuses on value addition by enhancing the quality, taste and nutritional value of these crops through facilities like grading, processing, packaging, ideal storage and cold storage, the statement added.
To promote natural farming, the state government is providing financial assistance for purchasing indigenous cows and emphasis is being laid on setting up special natural farmer-producer organizations to promote natural products.
Emphasis is being laid on strengthening of refrigerated vans, supply chain and marketing for perishable produce, while the state government is encouraging farmers to adopt the Subhash Parlekar method of natural farming to reduce the cost of agriculture, improve soil health, cut environmental pollution and produce chemical-free healthy food grains, the statement said.
