Ladwa (Kurukshetra): Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday said farm technology can be considered an innovation only if it cuts input costs, reduces dependence on manual labour and improves returns.“The success of any technology should ultimately be reflected in a farmer’s account book,” Saini said while addressing the closing session of the fifth Innovative Farmers’ Meet organised by CII in Ladwa.Saini said farm technology must be affordable, easy to operate and locally repairable. He called for greater use of direct seeding of rice, micro-irrigation and land levelling to conserve water, and urged farmers to get their soil tested and use fertilisers accordingly.He also advocated crop diversification and greater use of farmer groups, cooperatives and machinery-rental centres so small farmers can access expensive equipment. Training village youth to operate and repair farm machinery could reduce costs and create rural jobs, he said.Saini said around 2 lakh farmers had registered 3 lakh acres on the portal promoting natural farming. Verification of 23,930 farmers covering 44,000 acres had been completed, while natural farming was undertaken on 20,727 acres in 2025-26.Under PM-KUSUM, farmers are being provided a 75% subsidy for solar pumps, with 1.9 lakh pumps installed so far, he said. An incentive of Rs 1,200 per acre is also being provided for paddy stubble management, with Rs 907 crore disbursed to 10 lakh farmers.Agriculture minister Shyam Singh Rana urged farmers to adopt DSR, saying it could provide a benefit of around Rs 15,000 per acre through lower cultivation costs and govt assistance.
