Dehradun, March 15 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday stressed the need to increase farmers' income by promoting polyhouses, aroma valleys and dragon fruit cultivation while inaugurating the 119th All India Farmers' Fair and Agro-Industry Exhibition at Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, US Nagar district. Addressing the gathering, Dhami said such events were instrumental in updating farmers with the latest innovation in agriculture and provided opportunities to directly interact with scientists. The chief minister said the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was implementing several initiatives to strengthen the agricultural sector. Referring to the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, he said more than 100 million farmers across the country are receiving financial assistance under the scheme, including 9 lakh farmers in Uttarakhand. He added that the Centre has also released the first instalment of Rs.25 crore for fencing agricultural fields to protect crops from wild animals. Dhami said farmers are being empowered through schemes such as the crop insurance scheme, soil health card scheme, Kisan Maandhan scheme, horticulture development scheme, agricultural equipment subsidy scheme and drip irrigation scheme. He added that the credit limit under the Kisan Credit Card scheme has been increased from Rs.3 lakh to Rs.5 lakh. The chief minister said the state government is providing interest-free loans of up to Rs.3 lakh to farmers and has allocated Rs.200 crore for establishing polyhouses to increase farm income. So far, around 350 polyhouses have been installed in the state at a cost of Rs.115 crore, he said. Highlighting Uttarakhand's diverse geographical conditions, Dhami said the government is implementing location-specific schemes for farmers. He added that a new apple policy worth Rs.1,200 crore has been introduced and several initiatives offering up to 80% state assistance are being implemented. The government is also developing seven aroma valleys in the state and promoting cultivation of dragon fruit due to its rising market demand, he said. The chief minister said fruit production in the state has increased by 2.5%, while mushroom production has reached about 27,000 metric tonnes, placing Uttarakhand fifth in the country. He added that the state has significant potential in beekeeping and honey production, with current output of around 3,300 metric tonnes placing it eighth nationwide. Dhami said the state recently passed a budget of Rs.1.11 lakh crore with allocations for agriculture, horticulture, aromatics, fisheries, beekeeping and research. He urged farmers to adopt modern agricultural techniques and contribute to the state's economic growth. Vice-chancellor of the university Dr Manmohan Singh Chauhan welcomed the guests and said the fair is a matter of pride for the institution He added that more than 350 stalls have been set up at the exhibition and around 20,000 people are participating in the fair every day...