Explore fish farming in wetlands: Rana

Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana today directed officials to ensure complete and effective utilisation of the allocated budget across all schemes of the Agriculture Department, so that farmers can derive maximum benefit.

He was presiding over a review meeting of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department here today. Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, Raja Shekhar Vundru, along with other senior officers, was also present.

Rana reviewed ongoing work related to soil conservation and fertiliser availability given the upcoming sowing season. He directed the department to take steps to ensure adequate supply to farmers.

Emphasising the importance of seed quality, he held discussions on seed subsidy schemes and said only high-quality seeds should be provided to farmers.

Addressing the issue of wetland in the state, the minister said a target had been set to reclaim one lakh hectares of such land this year. He urged officials to exceed the target and make Charkhi Dadri, Sirsa, and Fatehabad districts wet-free, while simultaneously intensifying efforts in other districts.

He also instructed officials to encourage panchayats to adopt fish farming by developing model ponds on wet panchayat land. If successful, the model could be replicated for individual farmers whose land remains uncultivated due to wetland. In areas where fish farming was not feasible and water stagnation was a persistent issue, he suggested the plantation of 'safeda' to help restore groundwater balance.

He said alternative livelihoods, like fish farming, would play a vital role in enhancing farmers' income.

He also reviewed initiatives such as the Soil Health Card programme, stubble management, and farmer training schemes.