Hoshiarpurਹੁਸ਼ਿਆਰਪੁਰ

What the plan promotes

• ▸Crop production credit potential of ₹7764.44 Cr (47.61% of the plan) built on the wheat-paddy cycle; wheat is the main Rabi crop sown on 141900 of 203000 ha net sown area (~90% of farmers), with paddy, potato, maize, sugarcane, groundnut, pulses and vegetables also grown.
• ▸Dairy is the largest allied term-loan line at ₹513.11 Cr, backed by 129100 cross-bred and 22810 indigenous cattle plus 169050 buffaloes, 472 milk collection centres and 472 dairy cooperative societies; annual milk production is 12.71 lakh MT.
• ▸Farm mechanisation carries ₹291.06 Cr of potential across 24403 tractors and 2341 threshers/cutters; the plan urges group financing via JLGs and farmers' clubs for small and marginal farmers.
• ▸Poultry adds ₹149.77 Cr of allied potential (882.38 thousand indigenous birds, 176 poultry hatcheries) and fisheries ₹23.23 Cr, with fish farming promoted as a preferred self-employment avenue for rural youth.
• ▸Agriculture infrastructure of ₹881.15 Cr, dominated by ₹516.33 Cr for storage (existing godown capacity 67600 MT, cold-store capacity 93365 MT) and ₹304.69 Cr for land development, soil conservation and watershed work in the erosion-prone Kandi belt.
• ▸Ancillary activities carry ₹1700.88 Cr, including ₹160.17 Cr for food and agro processing that builds on 562 rice/flour/dal/oil units (5000 MT/day capacity), plus gur/khandsari sugar, fruit-juice and turmeric powder units.

Gaps the plan names

• ▸Groundwater exploitation has been rampant; farmers must be educated to stop further exploitation in over-exploited areas and restrict it in critical/semi-critical areas, with promotion of zero-tillage equipment, laser levelling, in-situ crop-residue moisture management and efficient irrigation-water distribution.
• ▸A significant part of the district (the Kandi belt) suffers heavy soil erosion; rain-water harvesting, base-flow harvesting, micro lift irrigation and water-recharging structures are needed, with proactive involvement of the Soil Conservation Department along the Kandi canal.
• ▸There is credit starvation in the district, so new areas such as agro-processing industries, cold storage, watershed works and full use of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund should be explored, alongside flour mills, bio-gas plants and lift irrigation.
• ▸Land holdings are very small and much of the district is un-irrigated Kandi tracks, which restricts the scope of agriculture finance and holds back ground-level credit; capital formation in agriculture needs a coordinated push from banks and line departments.
• ▸Young entrepreneurs are not coming forward to set up SSI units and there is no proactive approach to attracting industry; uninterrupted power supply and water must be ensured to draw investment.