Government of India is encouraging diversified production of commercial crops such as cotton, jute, sugarcane under National Food Security Mission (NFSNM-Commercial crops) and profitable horticultural crops under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing Crop Diversification Programme (CDP), a sub-scheme of Pradhan MantriRashtriyaKrishiVikasYojana (PM-RKVY), in the Original Green Revolution States viz; Haryana, Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh since 2013-14 to divert the area of rice crop to alternative crops such as pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals, nutri cereals, cotton etc. The CDP provides support to the farmers for four major components viz., (i) alternate crop demonstrations, (ii) farm mechanization and value addition, (iii) site specific activities and (iv) contingency for awareness, training, implementation, monitoring, etc.

Apart from implementing CDP, the state governments are also encouraging farmers to shift from Rice-Wheat-based crop system through various interventions viz, in Punjab various sustainable farming practices like promoting / encouraging Millets cultivation, ensuring supply of quality planting material of various fruits, vegetables etc., establishment of center of excellence for Pear, Peach, Guava, Citrus are being implemented and Haryana, is implementing “Mera Pani Meri Virasat” scheme from the year 2020 to solve the problem of declining groundwater by diversifying the paddy crop to alternate high-value crops.

This information was given by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Ramnath Thakur in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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