Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday said the government is committed to double the income of farmers by 2022 for which various initiatives have been taken.
He was addressing the delegation of Pachhad assembly constituency of Sirmour district who had come to thank him for appointing Baldev Bhandari as Chairman of HP Agriculture Marketing Board.
Thakur said the government would strengthen agriculture marketing network in the state to provide better marketing facilities to the farmers. In order to facilitate the farmers, the state government had relaxed the condition of minimum one hectare land to 2.5 bighas to register tractors being used for agriculture purpose.
If the owner of the tractor did not have agricultural land, he could submit affidavit regarding land in the name of his father or mother, he said.
He said about 90 per cent population of the state was residing in the rural areas and therefore, it was essential to ensure development of these areas for overall development of the state. It was for the first time that minimum support price of cereals was increased about 1.5 times by the Union government, he added.
Speaking on the occasion Agriculture Minister Ram Lal Markanda said the farmers were playing a vital role in economy of the state and the government was committed to ensure their welfare. MLA Suresh Kashyap thanked the Chief Minister for appointing Baldev Bhandari as Chairman of State Agriculture Marketing Board.
Baldev Bhandari while thanking the Chief Minister for his appointment as the Chairman said he would work with sincerity and dedication for welfare of the farming community.