Government focused on reclaiming saline-affected land, says Agri Minister

Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana chaired a joint meeting with officers of various departments and progressive farmers here on Wednesday evening.

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During the meeting, he said the state government was making serious efforts to reclaim saline-affected (waterlogged) land, and restore its productivity.

The minister said subsidy-based schemes were being introduced and implemented for this purpose.

He instructed officials to conduct an immediate survey of saline-affected land in Jhajjar district and prepare a detailed report.

Officials informed the minister that 1,86,925 acres of land in Jhajjar was currently affected by salinity.

Rana then set a target to reclaim at least 10,000 acres of this land during the current year. The Agriculture Minister said saline water from such land could be used for fish farming, offering farmers dual benefits.

He suggested that ponds be dug near saline-affected areas to start aquaculture activities, especially as saline water was considered ideal for shrimp farming.

The government had launched subsidy-based schemes to support such initiatives, he said.

Officials said a farmer from Bakra village had started a pilot project based on this model. Earlier, the minister visited the grain market in Jhajjar to inspect the procurement process of rabi crops.

Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya and representatives of procurement agencies were also present during the inspection.

The minister interacted with farmers and commission agents, and discussed ways to ensure a smooth procurement process.

During the discussion, commission agents highlighted the lack of space at the mandi. In response, Rana enquired about land availability, and directed them to prepare a project proposal for a new grain market, spread across 100 acres.

He assured them that the government would seriously consider the proposal.