Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik has announced a special assistance of Rs 506 crore for the farmers affected by the two-day cyclone on December 4 and 5.Small and marginal farmers with 33 per cent crop losses will be given Rs 400 per hectare for rain-fed land, Rs 13,500 per hectare for irrigated areas and Rs 18,000 per hectare for all-day crops such as mango, cashew, coconut, panbaraj, etc.. Farmers will be given a minimum of Rs 2,000 as an Input subsidy for daily crop losses and Rs 1,000 for other crops. Certified high quality seeds – 12,000 quintal seeds will be provided to farmers in the affected 12 districts at a discounted rate and now an additional 25 per cent of the rebate amount will be provided for the 2021-22 rabi crop through DBT. Farmers in the affected districts will be provided with 50,000 pulses of national seed mini kits. In addition, 7 lakh family seeds will be provided free of cost.
One million members of the self-help group who grow fruits and vegetables will be provided with plastic crate boxes. Each member will be provided with 5 crates at a discount of 40 percent. This will reduce post-harvest losses and provide free seedlings to one million farmers to plant in the backyards of their homes. One million farmers will be supported by hybrid family farming. Each farmer will get a subsidy of Rs 4,000 per 0.20 hectares.
Farmers in the affected districts will be given a subsidy of Rs 50 crore for agricultural mechanization. It will be provided through DBT and 5,000 pump sets in the affected areas will be provided at a 50 per cent discount. The maximum discount will be Rs 10,000.
The affected farmers will be provided with 5,000 sprayers at a 50 per cent discount. A maximum of Rs 3,600 will be paid for power credits and a maximum of Rs 750 for hand sprayers.
The package also includes provisions for farmers affected by pest control. Discounts will be provided to farmers through DBT. The assistance will be provided for a total of 18,000 hectares of land.Short-term loans issued in areas with 33 per cent or more smoke damage will be converted into medium-term loans. Similarly, assistance will be provided by the official financial institution so that farmers can avail crop loans and agricultural loans for the convenience of the upcoming Sunday season. Immediate steps will be taken to form a Joint Liability Group so that the sharecroppers can avail the loans during the Rabi season.
As soon as the farmers registered under the Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme get their compensation as soon as possible, steps will be taken to immediately assess the post-harvest losses and the Crop Cutting Experience will also be completed soon. Steps will also be taken to ensure that farmers affected by the cyclone receive immediate loan assistance for the Rabi crop.
By: Shyamala Subarna
