The regional office of National Horticulture Board will prove to be a boon for the farmers of Gwalior-Chambal zone. Through this, there will be huge financial help and training for horticulture, which will bring about a radical change in the lives of farmers and will open new doors of progress for them. This was stated by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Food Processing Industries Narendra Singh Tomar. Tomar inaugurated the regional office of National Horticulture Board at Gwalior on Thursday. In the program, Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala and Kailash Choudhary, State Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel participated virtually in this program.

Here this regional office of National Horticulture Board has been established in the agricultural premises in front of Gwalior trade fair. Energy Minister Pradyuman Singh Tomar, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Horticulture and Food Processing Bharat Singh Kushwaha, Member of Parliament Vivek Narayan Shejwalkar, Chairman of Administrative Committee of District Panchayat Smt. Manisha Yadav and BJP District President Kamal Makhijani was present as a special guest. Managing Director of National Horticulture Board Rajveer Singh, Collector in-charge Shivam Verma and Chief Executive Officer of District Panchayat Kishore Kanyal were also present in the program. Agriculture Secretary, Government of India, Sanjay Agarwal was also virtually associated with this program.

After big states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh has now become a state where National Horticulture Board has two offices. Before Gwalior, the office of the Horticulture Board was operating in Bhopal, the capital of the state. On the demand of the state government, Union Agriculture Minister Tomar has given this gift to the farmers of Gwalior Chambal region. For the establishment of this office, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Horticulture and Food Processing, Bharat Singh Kushwaha was especially trying. It is noteworthy that the farmers of the area where the National Horticulture Board has its offices have got huge benefits. Farmers have earned huge income by getting grants and technical training through this office. It may be known that through the office of the Horticulture Board, a grant of crores of rupees is given for horticulture crops like fruits, vegetables, cold storage chain, green house, net house and mulching cultivation.

Union Minister Tomar said that farmers’ income cannot increase much from traditional crops. To increase the income, farmers will have to adopt cash farming like herbal and fruits. You can take advantage of the schemes run by the Government of India for horticulture crops. He said that for the prosperity of the farmers of Gwalior and Chambal region, big gifts have been given to this area by the Government of India, in which Excellence Center under construction at Noorabad in collaboration with India and Israel, Regional Office of National Horticulture Board at Gwalior, to Morena. State-of-the-art lab to make honey hub and proposed tissue culture lab in Gwalior for mass production of potatoes.

On this occasion, Tomar also said that the Government has created a one lakh crore Agricultural Infrastructure Fund. To get help from which any farmer can apply online by creating his own project. In order to provide financial help to the farmers’ projects received online, the government is reviewed every week. He said that the Government of India will spend Rs.6 thousand 550 crore through FPO (Agriculture Production Organization). This will bring a revolutionary change in the lives of farmers. Through FPO, farmers will be able to get loans up to Rs 2 crore by forming a group of 300 farmers without guarantee and at a cheaper rate. Tomar said that on the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is making all-round efforts to double the income of farmers by the year 2022. In which new missions and schemes, one and a half times the rate of purchase of produce on support price, providing Kisan Credit Card on a large scale, Kisan Samman Nidhi, huge grant on crop loan and formation of FPO etc.

Member of Parliament Vivek Narayan Shejwalkar said that the office of National Horticulture Board is a big gift for Gwalior-Chambal region. With the help of this center, farmers will adopt horticulture, which will make agriculture profitable. Along with this, this center will prove to be an important link in removing the unemployment of Gwalior-Chambal region.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Horticulture and Food Processing Bharat Singh Kushwaha said that the office of National Horticulture Board would prove to be an important link in taking the farmers of Gwalior-Chambal region towards self-reliance. He expressed special gratitude to the Union Agriculture Minister Tomar for opening this office in Gwalior. Also said that by taking advantage of the schemes of Horticulture Board, farmers can double their income. With this, farmers will be able to get subsidy for vegetables, flowers, cold stores, chains etc. Along with this, food processing units will also be set up.

Union Minister Tomar and other guests duly inaugurated the office of National Horticulture Board by cutting the tape and unveiling the plaque. On this occasion, the office building of Project Director “Atma” under Farmers Welfare and Agriculture Development Department of the State Government was also inaugurated by the guests.