Punjab to promote horticulture in four districts

Chandigarh, Oct 10 (IANS) The Punjab government will establish horticulture estates in four districts -- Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Faridkot and Ludhiana, equipped with latest technological information and machinery, Minister of Horticulture, Food Processing Fauja Singh Sarari said on Monday.

Addressing heads of districts at a meeting here, he instructed them to bring maximum area under horticulture crops by motivating the farmers to come out of the current wheat-paddy crop cycle.

He also asked them to create awareness to save the groundwater which is going down day by day in Punjab. He said the best performing officers be honoured at the state level.

The minister said 40 lakh and 64 lakh litres per acre water is consumed for the production of wheat and paddy crops grown in the state, respectively, while only 17 lakh litres per acre of water is required for the production of horticultural crops.

In this way, 86 lakh litres of water per acre can be saved. The horticulture officials were instructed to prepare and send recommendation to give financial assistance to the landholders who bring the area under horticulture crops for saving water.

Sarari said compared to water recharge in 57 blocks of Punjab, up to 200 per cent of water is being taken out and used for crop production. This is a matter of concern and proper efforts are needed to save water in Punjab, he added.