Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced a special assistance package of Rs 507 crore for the farmers affected by cyclone Jawad that hit the Odisha coast earlier this month causing widespread damage to standing crops.
According to the CM’s announcement, small and marginal farmers who lost 33 per cent of their crops will receive Rs 6800 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, betel 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.
Around 12,000 quintals of certified high-quality 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 disbursed through DBT for 2021-22 Rabi Season. Farmers in the affected districts will be provided with 50,000 pulses seed mini kits. In addition, 4 lakh vegetable seeds will be provided free of cost.
In order to reduce the risk of post-harvest damage, one lakh members of the self-help group engaged in fruit and vegetable farming will be provided with plastic crates. Each member will be provided with 5 crates at a discount of 90 per cent. One lakh farmers will be provided with 10 fruit saplings each for free to plant in the backyard of their houses.
One lakh farmers will be provided support for hybrid vegetable farming. Each farmer will get a subsidy of Rs 4,000 per 0.20 hectares.
Farmers in the affected districts will be given a rebate of Rs 50 crore for agricultural mechanisation. It will be provided through DBT. In the affected areas, 5,000 pump sets will be provided at a 50 per cent rebate. The maximum discount will be Rs 10,000.
The affected farmers will be also provided with 5,000 sprayers at a 50 per cent discount. A maximum of Rs 3,800 will be paid in the case of a power sprayer and a maximum of Rs 750 in the case of a hand sprayer.
The package also includes provisions for farmers affected by pest attacks. The rebate will be provided to farmers through DBT. The assistance will be provided for a total of 18,000 hectares of land.
Short-term loans in areas with 33 per cent or more crop losses will be converted into medium-term loans. Similarly, assistance will be provided by the financial institutions so that farmers can avail crop loans and agricultural loans at a convenient rate for the upcoming Rabi Season. Immediate steps will be taken to form a Joint Liability Group so that sharecroppers can get loans on a convenient basis during the Rabi season.
To ensure that farmers registered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana get their compensation as soon as possible, steps will be taken to immediately assess post-harvest losses and the Crop Cutting Experiment 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.
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