New Delhi, Apr 29 (UNI) Centre has sanctioned Rs 22.67 crore for agriculture development in Himachal Pradesh for the year 2006-2007 under the scheme of accelerated growth of agriculture and forests.

The scheme was sanctioned in, high-level meeting between the officials of the central and state government here today, official sources said.

Out of total plan outlay, central share would be Rs 20.40 crore while the state would provide Rs 2.27 crore as its share in the scheme, sources said quoting Director Agriculture J C Rana.

Out of sanctioned amount a sum of Rs 894.18 lakh would be spent on agriculture development while Rs 1372.82 lakh would be spent on natural resources management.

Out of total outlay, Rs 136.27 lakh would be spent on women development while Rs 336.80 lakh had been earmarked for SC/ST plan.

A target had been fixed to cover 8.65 lakh hectare area under food grains and commercial crop with a production target of Rs 30.26 lakh tonnes during the year 2006-2007.

A target had been fixed to cover 7.96 lakh hectare area under food grains production and grow 17.81 lakh tonnes food grains for current year while target had been fixed to grow 12.45 lakh tonnes commercial crops in 0.69 lakh hectare area for the current year.

Farmers would be provided financial assistance and subsidy for the purchase of improved varieties of seeds of wheat paddy and pulses to encourage them to adopt the high yielding varieties of the seed to register higher growth in productions.

Field demonstrations, training of farmers on crop production technology and demonstrations on cereal production technology under crop improvement programme shall also be laid out.

Farmers would be provided assistance for purchasing farm machinery such as small farm tractor, power tillers, power thrashers and plan protection equipment and a sum of Rs 289 lakh would be spent under the programme during the current year.

A sum of Rs 115 lakh would be spent on balanced and integrated nutrients management programmes under which soil testing activities would be undertaken and balance fertilizers would be used to ensure optimum benefits to the farmers.

A sum of Rs 262.82 lakh would be spent on natural resources management, farm production system and livelihood support system for landless families under national watershed development projects for rainfed areas of the state.

A sum of Rs 83.13 lakh would be spent for increase of role of women participaits. About 680 women groups would be formed in the state by ensuring at least ten women groups in each block and village based trainings would be organised and women study tours would be conducted to educate them about latest farm machinery equipment and know how about the agriculture sector.

An amount of Rs 203 lakh would be spent on farm water management and soil conservation activities in the state under which 1500 shallow well, dug well, ponds tank and 120 community water harvesting structure/check dams would be constructed besides providing assistance to soil conservations and protection of cultivable lands on community basis.

He said a sum of Rs 336 lakh would be spent on various components of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes component scheme in the state for the current year.

The state had also chalked out a plan to promote organic farming.

4,200 farmers had already adopted organic farming in 4,000 hectare area.

UNI IP LS GC1837