Chandigarh: Punjab Horticulture Department is playing a crucial role in transforming Punjab’s increasingly unprofitable agriculture sector into a lucrative enterprise and resolving the farming crisis, said Punjab Horticulture Minister Mohinder Bhagat while speaking with the journalists here today.The Horticulture Minister said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led government is making concerted efforts to increase area under horticulture in the state. While describing the horticulture department as an advisory body for farmers, providing environmentally friendly and economically beneficial guidance, Bhagat listed that through the department’s initiatives, Punjab’s farmers have established extensive orchards under crop diversification. This has not only increased the availability of health-promoting fruits but also improved the state’s environment by expanding forest cover through orchards.He said that the department’s primary objectives are conserving groundwater, purifying the environment and increasing farmers’ income. He revealed that while most crops, including wheat and paddy, generate income between Rs.30, 000 to Rs.55, 000 per acre, farmers can earn between Rs.1 lakh to Rs.5 lakh per acre through horticulture.

He cited an example of a Ludhiana district farmer earning Rs.20 lakh per acre annually through polyhouse farming, while explaining that various fruit estates established by the state government are significantly benefiting horticulturists by providing proper guidance on orchard maintenance and fertilizer usage, resulting in higher yields and preventing economic losses from excessive fertilizer use, which further saves approximately Rs.7, 000 per acre for horticulturists.The Cabinet Minister announced that guava, litchi and pear estates have been established in the state, which will soon be dedicated to the public. Bhagat informed that departmental officials have been instructed to study subsidy policies of other states to develop farmer-friendly policies for Punjab’s horticulturists. He also directed officials to explore possibilities of establishing polyhouses on one kanal of land.

The Horticulture Minister informed that the state’s horticulturists have already secured orders to export 600 quintals of litchi in the coming year.He said that all vacant posts in the department are being filled promptly to strengthen its operations.