Assam Floods: Agriculture schemes to give flood-hit farmers a respite

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Two successive waves of floods have dealt a blow to paddy farmers and the Agriculture Department in the state this year. To give a respite to the affected farmers, the department has planned a community nursery under the RKVY (Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana) and a few other schemes.

Floods this year destroyed 85,514 hectares of paddy, affecting 8,45,434 farming families in 9,178 villages in the state. Floods also destroyed 7.5 hectares of oil seed cultivation, 1673 hectares of sugarcane, 30,357 hectares of Kharif vegetables, 3,006 hectares of fruit and plantation crops, etc.

According to Agriculture Department sources, in both waves of floods this year, 29 districts each suffered the worst in the agriculture sector. The department has drawn a plan to set up a 1958-hectare community nursery under the RKVY that can provide paddy saplings to sow 19,580 hectares of land. It will help around 50,000 farmers. The department has earmarked Rs 9.20 crore for this nursery.

Apart from this community nursery, Majuli, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Golaghat district farmers will get paddy saplings from other schemes. Paddy saplings from these schemes can sow 2,060 hectares of land.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Atul Bora instructed the department to help the affected farmers through the schemes at the ground level.

The minister told The Sentinel, "The affected farmers will get some respite from the government in the coming winter crop (rabi) season. The government has approved Rs 25 crore for these schemes. Under these schemes, the affected farmers will get seeds of paddy, garlic, onion, black lentil, corn etc."

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