BHUBANESWAR: In a move to digitise the agriculture sector, the government is all set to start farmers registration across the state from January 1. The farmers will be provided a unique digital identity similar to Aadhaar.
To be known as Krushak Parichaya Patra (Farmer ID), it will be an Aadhaar-linked unique digital identity that is connected dynamically to the land records of the state, livestock ownership, crops sown, and benefits availed under different schemes.
“The registration will be done jointly by the Agriculture and Cooperation department. It has been decided to hold camps at panchayat-level and subsequently extended to village-level to assist the farmers in completing the registration process,” said a senior officer of the Agriculture department.
Officials of the two departments will conduct the e-KYC process for farmers through web applications. They may either complete the process or help farmers to do it themselves by using mobile or web platforms, the officer added.
Nodal officers and technical coordinators will be appointed at state, district and block levels to facilitate seamless operations and address technical issues. The government will launch a massive awareness campaign to inform farmers about the registry, its benefits and the process. After successful registration each of the farmer will be issued a unique farmer ID, said the officer.
Registration of farmers who have registered under PM-Kisan will be given priority as there will be minimal requirement of documents and land records. It has been targeted to complete the registration process by March 31, 2025.
Enlisting the benefits of the farm registry, the officer said, “Farmers will be able to digitally identify and authenticate themselves to access benefits and services such as crop loan, crop insurance, MSP-based procurement, connected to agri-input suppliers and buyers of agricultural produce with minimal or no documentation and without physical visit to various offices or service providers.”
Presently, farmers have to go through verification every time they apply for any agriculture scheme. It not only involves cost but also some face harassment. The farmers’ registry will address this issue, he said.
Trustful data in the registry will help the state government make schemes and services more efficient and transparent. It will also help in accurate crop production estimation, ultimately helping farmers with evidence-based government policies on pricing of their agri-produce, he added.