SHILLONG, Jan 15: Agriculture Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh claimed that there were no takers for his department when portfolios were being allocated to Cabinet ministers in the NPP-led MDA Government.
“Majority of the Cabinet ministers were not ready to take this responsibility. I took this department as a challenge (to see) if I can do something good since majority of the people in my constituency are farmers,” Lyngdoh said, while addressing a function to lay the foundation stone for the water supply scheme project of Thynroit village, worth Rs 9 crore, on Saturday.
He recalled the move of the MDA government to lift the ban on use of chemical fertilisers.
Chemical fertilisers would be available again in the market for farmers in the state at statutorily fixed prices through the retailers appointed by the Meghalaya State Cooperative Marketing and Consumers’ Federation Limited (MECOFED) from next week, he said.
The government has deposited Rs 1.30 crore for procurement of the fertilizers, the minister said.
According to him, fertilisers will be made available at statutorily defined prices (as determined by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers) in a controlled manner.
“The decision to continue with the scheme of providing fertilisers was very important since production of agricultural items has drastically come down ever since the previous government had taken this decision. This effort has been undertaken to safeguard the interests of farmers,” Lyngdoh said.
In June 2014, the then government had discontinued the scheme to provide fertilisers with the aim to reduce hazardous effects of chemical fertilisers on human lives and on environment.
Meanwhile, Lyngdoh, who is the MLA of Mawkynrew, said that development work worth around Rs 363 crore in sectors such as road, water, sports etc., has been introduced in his constituency in the past five years.
