The data base of farmers being prepared by the State Agriculture Department to help provide subsidy and other benefits through electronic clearing system (ECS) will be delayed as the data entry will be possible only after completing the security audit of websites.
This is the first time that the Agriculture Department is initiating a process to collect the data regarding allfarmers of the state. Now the data collection is being conducted manually and they will be uploaded in the website at a later stage.
It is roughly estimated that there were around 28 lakh farmers in the state. The entry of data regarding such large number of farmers is expected to take some time and the ECS facility could be implemented only after completing all the formalities. Additional director of Agriculture (extension) K K Chandran said that a pilot project had been implemented in Wayanad where the details of the farmers were collected. Now, all the financial benefits of farmers there are being transferred to their accounts through electronic clearing system (ECS).
“Following the success of the project in Wayanad, it has been decided to extend it to all other districts. This will help in providing all the benefits to the farmers through their bank accounts and there is no need to approach the respective Krishi Bhavans,’’ he said.
The delay in distributing subsidy and other benefits to the farmers could be avoided to a great extent with the implementation of this project. Krishi Bhavan officials started collecting the data after inspecting the sites. It will be uploaded in the site as soon as the security audit is over, he said.
There was a confusion over including those engaged in farming at the land taken on lease. Now it has been decided to include them also in the list and consider these people also as farmers and provide them the benefits. The data collection will also help in identifying the area of land in which a particular crop is cultivated. It also helps in getting information on the type of cultivation and all other aspects connected with the farming.
According to Chandran, all the information collected through Krishi Bhavans will not be made public. The information given by the farmers will be verified by agricultural officers before uploading on the website, he said.