Chandigarh, Jan 15 (IANS) With the objective of accelerating holistic agricultural growth in Haryana, enhancing farmers’ incomes and strengthening agriculture and allied sectors, a pre-budget consultation meeting was held on Thursday at in Hisar.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, brought together agricultural scientists, progressive farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and stakeholders from animal husbandry, horticulture, fisheries and the rural economy to seek inputs for the Budget of 2026-27.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said the government is framing policies with farmers’ needs and challenges at the core, and agriculture will continue to receive the highest priority in the budget. He underlined that agriculture plays a vital role in sustaining the country’s economy.

“The real India lives in villages, and Haryana’s identity is deeply rooted in hardworking farmers and a strong rural economy. Therefore, agriculture and allied sectors will receive special focus in the forthcoming budget,” he said.

CM Saini said this consultation is emotionally significant for him as well, as he is the son of a farmer and understands the hardships of farming firsthand. He emphasised that farmers are not merely food producers but custodians of India’s culture, traditions and civilisation.

Recalling the previous pre-budget consultation held on January 9, the Chief Minister said 161 suggestions were received from farmers and experts, of which 99 key suggestions were incorporated into the Budget.

The Chief Minister highlighted that strict legislation has been enacted to prevent the sale of spurious seeds.

A special agriculture and horticulture action plan was prepared for the Morni region, initiatives promoting natural farming were further strengthened, and financial assistance under the Mera Pani, Meri Virasat scheme was enhanced to promote water conservation and crop diversification.

He said that in line with farmers’ suggestions the government has undertaken modernisation of all mandis, implemented a gate-pass system for all crops, established seed testing laboratories in every district, set up new centres of excellence and expanded the Horticulture Mission across the state.

–IANS

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