Himachal Govt plans tax concessions for milk producers, agri schemes in Budget

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 11

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that new schemes for farmers would be included in the Budget for the financial year 2024-25 to increase their income. He interacted with milk producers to get the first-hand knowledge about their problems and solutions to address their grievances.

To promote animal husbandry

• The state government intends to bring a revolutionary change in the agriculture sector with special focus on promoting animal husbandry, said CM Sukhu
• The idle land of farmers to be used for setting up solar plants to strengthen the rural economy under the second phase of the Rajiv Gandhi Self-Employment Start-up Scheme
• The milk quality in the Himalayan region is far better and efforts are afoot to market it

Sukhu said, “Our government will link traditional farming techniques with modern technologies for transformation of the agriculture sector.” He added that fundamental changes were being made in the policies and rules to ensure that money goes directly to farmers. The government would also consider giving tax concessions to milk producers, he asserted.

The CM said the government was encouraging agriculture as an industry to make farmers self-reliant, as almost 90 per cent people in Himachal live in rural areas. “Since agriculture and milk production play a pivotal role in promoting the rural economy, the state government is coming up with innovative schemes in the upcoming Budget to increase the income of farmers. Theses steps are likely to yield positive results in the next two years,” he added.

Sukhu said that there was a direct relationship between agriculture and milk production and as such it was necessary to go in for natural and organic farming in a big way. “We intend to bring a revolutionary change in the agriculture sector with special focus on promoting animal husbandry,” he added.

He said that an increase of Rs 6 in the milk purchase price was an indication of our future course of action to strengthen the dairy sector for an assured fixed income to the farmers.

Sukhu said that the milk quality in the Himalayan region was far better and efforts were afoot ot market it, which would add to the income of farmers and make agriculture an employment-oriented industry. “These efforts will help in strengthening the milk-based rural economy of the state and the Rs 500-crore ‘Him Ganga Yojana’ has been started with this objective in mind,” he added.

He said that a milk processing plant of 1.50 lakh litres per day capacity would be established at Dhagwar in Kangra district at a cost of Rs 226 crore. “The process for land transfer for setting up the plant has been completed,” he added.

The Chief Minsiter said that the unutilised land of farmers would be used for setting up solar plants to strengthen the rural economy under the second phase of the Rajiv Gandhi Self-Employment Start-up Scheme, he added.

He also held extensive discussions with farmers in an open dialogue session and assured them of incorporating their suggestions as well as of those received from other stakeholders in the policy document.

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