BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday announced a special package of Rs 507 crore for farmers affected by cyclone Jawad.
He said small and marginal farmers who suffered crop loss of 33 per cent and above will get 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-season crops such as mango, cashew, coconut, betel leaves and kia.
A minimum input subsidy of Rs 2,000 will be given to farmers against loss of all-season crops and Rs 1,000 for other crops.
The affected farmers of 12 districts will be given 12,000 quintal high-quality certified seeds at subsidised rate and 25 per cent of the subsidy amount will be disbursed through direct benefit transfer (DBT) for 2021-22 rabi crop.
Farmers in the affected districts will be given 50,000 mini kits of pulses and four lakh such kits of vegetable seeds. This apart, four lakh farmers will get an assistance of Rs 4,000 each for every 0.2 hectare of land cultivated for hybrid vegetables.
The government has announced a subsidy of Rs 50 crore for farm mechanisation and the subsidy amount will be disbursed through DBT.
The affected farmers will get a 50 per cent subsidy subject to an upper limit of Rs 10,000 for the purchase of pump sets. Under the scheme 5,000 pump sets will be supplied to farmers.
The package also includes provisions for farmers whose crops were affected by pest attacks. Around 16,000 hectares of cropped areas were affected by pests in the State.
Short-term loans taken for cultivation in areas that suffered 33 per cent or more crop loss will be converted into medium-term loans. Sharecroppers have been requested to avail the benefit by forming joint liability groups.
The Chief Minister directed short-term credit lending institutions to take prompt measures to provide loans to farmers for rabi crops.
He further directed the officials to assess the crop loss through crop cutting experiments as early as possible for settling insurance claims under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
Some Respite