Chandigarh, Nov 30 (IANS): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said continuous efforts are being made to strengthen the economic condition of the farmers and encourage them towards trade and market.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony here between investors and farmer producer organisations.

He said 29 MoUs have been signed to give direct benefits to farmer producer organisations. Their objective is to collect produce from the farmers and provide them maximum value for it.

Expressing gratitude to the companies coming forward in food processing, the Chief Minister said now the buyers will also benefit as the prices in the market will be less.

These companies will directly procure fruits, vegetables and honey from the farms.

He urged the investors and the farmer producer organisations to give priority to the families in the state having an income of less than Rs 1 lakh by providing employment under Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Parivar Utthan Yojana.

Besides, he asked 500 progressive farmers to give training to small farmers in crop diversification.

The Chief Minister said Haryana is emerging as a leading state in the formation of farmer producer organisations. They are also working to make agriculture beneficial. This will help in economic evaluation and small farmers will get huge benefits.

He said the farmer producer organisations would improve the production, sales, quality, packing, processing, for the farmers.

The Chief Minister said a horticulture market is being set up in Ganaur, an apple market in Pinjore, a species market in Sonipat and a flower market in Gurugram to increase the production of farmers and to provide them remunerative prices.

Agriculture Minister J.P. Dalal said with the signing of the MoUs, the farmer producer organisations will be directly linked to the companies.

Under this, 60,000 tonnes of horticulture crops will be purchased. The MoUs will take the progress of the farmers towards a new direction.

According to Dalal, 599 farmer producer organisations have been formed by involving 77,985 farmers.

Under the new policy, efforts will be made to reach the target of setting up 1,000 farmer producer organisations by 2022 by involving 16 lakh farmers.