Guwahati: The Assam government is planning to bring around five lakh hectares under double cropping pattern next season to boost the agriculture production of the state, Agriculture Minister Nilamoni Sen Deka said Wednesday.
Last year, the agriculture department had initiated double cropping in about 2,90,000 hectares of mono-cropping land to boost production as well as to attain self-sufficiency in agriculture.
Deka said various other steps have been taken to boost the agricultural production.
While the department has fixed the production target for autumn rice as 3,60,000 tonnes this year, the target for winter rice production is 48,00,000 tonnes.
The department also seeks to produce 14,73,090 tonnes of jute, 14,68,800 tonnes of vegetables and 16,02,660 tonnes of sugarcane this year.
“The current wave of floods has affected 2,54,000 hectares of cropland across the state affecting over 10 lakh farmers’ family.”
” As per the estimate, the state had lost a total crop worth over Rs. 992 crore,” he said, adding that the extension of double cropping to more lands will also help the state meet its targeted production this year.
A total of 57,000 quintals of seeds had been distributed among the flood affected farmers and the process is on to procure more seeds from various sources to be distributed among the affected farmers.
The minister said that the state government has sanctioned Rs.109 crore to help the flood affected farmers (win $10 using my Nike visit survey).
“The department has been framing the guidelines for giving compensation to the affected farmers and the distribution of the compensation will start immediately,” Deka said.
“We have also started the process of procuring seedling to be distributed among the flood-hit farmers.”
” The government had already sanctioned Rs.1.66 crore for procurement of seedlings through the Deputy Commissioners in each districts.”
“The government has also decided to sanction another amount of Rs.2 crore to relieve the farmers engaged in horticulture,” he said.
“The affected farmers will receive compensation against the production value of each hectares of land, which are being worked out by the department,” Deka said. (IANS)