Shimla: Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu presented the budget for the financial year 2024-25 announcing a hike in the Minimum Support Price for cow and buffalo milk and a scheme to train 36000 farmers in the state in natural farming techniques in the state. Let us examine the major attractions of Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu's budget speech.
MSP on wheat and corn
CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while presenting the second budget of his government announced that natural agriculture will be promoted in Himachal Pradesh. Under the initiative, Himachal Government will purchase 20 quintals of grain grown through natural farming at MSP i.e. Minimum Support Price. The state government will purchase wheat at Rs 40 per kg and maize at Rs 30 per kg, Sukhu informed.
CM Sukhu said that Himachal government's MSP is the highest in the country in case of wheat and maize.
Hike in MSP on Cow and Buffalo Milk
Besides wheat and maize, Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also announced a hike in the MSP of cow and buffalo milk for the farmers. CM Sukhu announced that the government will buy cow milk at Rs 45 per liter and buffalo milk at Rs 55 per liter from April 1, 2024. This is a significant hike from the present MSP of Rs 38 per kg for milk in the state.
The Chief Minister said that Himachal is the first state in the country which has fixed the minimum support price on milk purchase which he said will benefit the animal farmers in the state. In a further boost to the farmers, the CM said that if cattle farmers get more price than the fixed MSP in the market, then they can sell milk in the market.
The CM also announced that marketing fees charged from milk producers will be waived from April 2024.
Rajiv Gandhi Prakriyat Kheti Yojna
In the budget, the Chief Minister announced the Rajiv Gandhi Prakriyat Kheti Yojna with an outlay of Rs 680 crore for the agriculture sector. Under the scheme, 10 farmers from every panchayat will be trained on natural farming techniques.