First state to announce Special Agricultural Zones is Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand has recently become the first state to set up Special Agricultural Zones (SAZs) to promote integrated farming approach. The objective is to turn the hill state into a leading seed and organic state.

The Special Agricultural Zones (SAZs) will be set up on the lines of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) which would extend a number of facilities.

The SAZs would be provided with 24-hour power supply for agricultural activities, priority treatment for conservation, irrigation facilities and marketing, collection and processing centres, one free soil treatment facility, training in new agronomic practice to one member of the family, and concessions on agro-equipments and recurring and non-recurring expenses.

Encouragement would be given to those SAZs which opt for cultivating hill species and help to develop a bank of high quality seeds of crops typical to hill regions and specially to Uttarakhand to help the state emerge as a seed state.