Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday congratulated the noted horticulturist Harkirat Ahluwalia for being selected for World Agri Tourism Awards-2018.
In his congratulatory message, the Chief Minister said it was a matter of pride for the state that Ahluwalia’s ‘Citrus County Farm Stays’ had been chosen for the award, in recognition of its immense contribution towards the promotion of rural tourism through its innovative and modern agri-techniques.
The ‘World Agri Tourism Awards-2018’ would be given to Harkirat Ahluwalia at National Agri Tourism Conference on 11th World Agri Tourism Day to be held on May 16, 2018 in Mumbai.
Citrus County, which provides stays to guests and families to enjoy the experience of farm life, has been selected in ‘Local Community Benefit Agriculture Tourism Project’ category.
The Chief Minister pointed out that initiative of farm stays by the Ahluwalia family at Chaunni Kalan village on the outskirts of Hoshiarpur had set a benchmark in farm tourism, besides motivating his peers to opt for rural tourism, which had a huge potential to transform the fortunes of farmers grappling with the agrarian crisis.
Captain Amarinder Singh further said that this was all the more important in the current farming scenario due to squeezed margins of profitability from conventional crops and ever-increasing costs of agri-inputs.
Reiterating his Government’s firm commitment to uplift the peasantry by taking pro-farmer initiatives, the Chief Minister said that a comprehensive plan to boost rural tourism across the state, with active participation of all stakeholders, was on top agenda.