PUNJAB SETS TARGET TO PLANT FRUIT SAPLINGS ON 4000 HECTARES OF LAND

CHANDIGARH, JULY 24:

The Horticulture Department of Punjab Government with the beginning of the rainy season starting from the second fortnight of July has set a target to plant fruit saplings on 4000 hectares of land in the state. The state government has also decided to provide a subsidy of 75% in three phases with the ratio of 60:20:20 to the farmers under this Special Scheme.

Disclosing this here today Mr. Sucha Singh Langah, Punjab Agriculture Minister said that the Horticulture Department has made all preparations to achieve the set target and has also initiated awareness campaign in this regard. He said that after plantation of these fruit saplings the total area covered under this scheme would reach upto 74,000 hectares of land in Punjab. He said that leaving apart the Banana fruit all other fruit saplings including Guava, Kinnos, Peach and Pear would be given a maximum subsidy of 75% per hectare of the total cost in three phases.

Mr. Langah said that for plantation of Banana saplings 50% subsidy of the total cost would be given in two years in two phases including 75% in first phase and 25% in the second phase. While the subsidy on Guave, Kinno, Peach and Pear would be given in three instalments.  He said that the maximum subsidy would be provided on four hectares of land for the purpose of plantation, pesticides, manures, draft preparation and to protect the saplings from seasonal heat and cold.

The Agriculture Minister said that the Department was doing its level best to increase the area under fruit cultivation every year. He said that the Horticulture Department has engaged 23 government and 53 private registered nurseries to prepare perfect and disease free fruit saplings for distributing amongst farmers in Punjab for plantation and to supply the saplings to other states. He said that the Horticulture Department had planted the evergreen saplings of Mango, Guava, Lichi, Kinno, Plums, Papaya, Pomegranate, Banana and seasonal fruits including Grapes, Peach and Pear on 4476 and 4083 hectares of land respectively in the year 2009-10 and 2010-11.

He further said that Department is successfully running six Fruit Protection Laboratories at Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Abohar, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana, where seeds are prepared and sold to the farmers on reasonable rates along with imparting training amongst them