To promote crop diversification and reduce area under the water-intensive paddy cultivation, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has set a target of covering 1 lakh acres under the ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’(MPMV) scheme in Haryana.
Besides the incentive of Rs 8,000 per acre for the farmers, the department, this year, will give a bonus of Rs 2,000 per acre to the farmers who will grow pulses, oilseeds (til, castor, groundnut) and cotton.
The MPMV is a flagship initiative of the government and it has issued district-wise targets for 22 districts.
Eligible farmers adopting the scheme will receive an incentive of Rs 8,000 per acre for diversifying paddy cultivation with alternative crops such as maize, cotton, arhar, moong, moth, urad, guar, soybean, Kharif oilseeds (sesame, castor and groundnut), fodder crops, Kharif onion, horticulture and vegetables, as well as agro-forestry species like poplar and eucalyptus. The incentive will also be applicable in the case of fallow land.
As per the official in the agriculture department, the incentive of Rs 8,000 per acre and the bonus of Rs 2000 per acre for selected crops will be provided to the beneficiaries in one instalment through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Under the Promotion of Crop Diversification and Water Conservation for the year 2026-27, the highest target has been assigned to Sirsa (18,000 acres), followed by Yamunanagar (12,000), Jind (11,500), Fatehabad (9,000), Kaithal (7,200), Karnal (6,400) and Hisar (6,000).
Similarly, Ambala has been given a target of 5,000 acre, Palwal (4,000), Panipat (3,500), Hansi (2,800), and Sonepat (2,600).
Other districts have been given targets ranging between 100 acres and 2,200 acres, depending on their agro-climatic suitability.
Dr Jasvinder Saini, Deputy Director Agriculture, Ambala, said “Targets for the MPMV scheme has been released by the department and efforts are being made to motivate the farmers to adopt crop diversification. The prime objective of the scheme is to reduce the area under paddy cultivation in the state to conserve groundwater.”
“The department has been giving an incentive of Rs 8,000 acre already, but this year a bonus of Rs 2,000 per acre has been announced for three crops. A decline in the area under cotton cultivation is being observed and we hopeful that the bonus will help in reviving the crop, besides increasing the area under oilseeds and pulses,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) spokesman Rakesh Bains, said, “The farmers are also concerned about depleting groundwater, but incentives are not sufficient to encourage the farmers. The government must ensure procurement of entire produce at the MSP and adequate compensation in case of losses. The farmers will only grow crops in which they get better returns. The alternative crops are not giving adequate returns compared to paddy.”
