Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday announced a special assistance of Rs 507 crore for the farmers affected by the two-day cyclone.
The small and marginal farmers who lost 33 per cent of their crops were given Rs 6,800 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, beetle vine etc.
The farmers will be given a minimum of Rs 2,000 as input subsidy for daily crop losses and Rs 1,000 for other crops.
Certified high-quality seeds – 12,000 quintals of 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.
As per the announcement, farmers in the affected districts will be provided with 50,000 pulses of national seed mini kits. In addition, 4 lakh family seeds will be provided free of charge.
One million members of the self-help group for fruit and vegetable farming will be provided with plastic mesh boxes.
Each member will be provided with 5 crates at a discount of 40 per cent. This will reduce the risk of post-harvest damage. One million farmers will be provided with 10 fruit saplings each for free to plant in the backyard of their houses.
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. In the affected areas, 5,000 pump sets 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 3,700 will be paid in the case of power spray and a maximum of Rs 750 in the case of hand spray.
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 in areas with 33 per cent or more crop losses will be converted into medium-term loans. Similarly, assistance will be provided by the formal financial institution so that farmers can avail crop loans and agricultural loans at a convenient rate for the upcoming Sunday 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 Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme get their compensation as soon as possible, steps will be taken to immediately assess 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.