Guwahati, Nov 16: Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday launched the Assam Millet Mission here with a view to expanding and increasing millet cultivation across the state.
Speaking at a function on the occasion, Sarma said the objective of the mission is to raise the nutrition quotient and double farmers’ income.
“With the launch of the millet mission, the farmers can diversify their cropping practices and other than conventional crops. They can extend their farming to grow millets. The mission will therefore increase crop productivity and contribute to crop diversification,” he said.
Lauding the state agriculture department for taking the initiative, Sarma said that while 25000 hectare crop land would be covered by the mission initially, it will be extended to 50000 hectares later.
The chief minister also inaugurated six soil testing and quality control laboratories at Bongaigaon, Morigaon, Udalguri, Golaghat, Karimganj and Darrang and two knowledge centres at Dhemaji and Titabor virtually at the same programme.
He also distributed harvesters, mini trucks, power tillers, seeds and multipurpose pulverisers among other items during the programme.
“The knowledge centres inaugurated today will help the farmers of the state to gain knowledge and handholding about millet farming. In the coming days, 96 more knowledge centres will be set up across the state under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for a quantum leap in agriculture production,” the chief minister said.
Specifying his government’s initiatives for the welfare of the farming community, he urged upon the farmers to take the advantage of Mission Basundhara 2.0 and convert the status of their lands to patta land.
“From next year, his government has set the MSP (minimum support price) for paddy at Rs 2040 per quintal,” he said while asking the farmers to sell their paddy to the government. He also said that with the subsidy, the government is helping the local youth to set up mills and other farm infrastructure.