TIRUCHY: Out of the total 1.83 lakh identified farmers in the district, the agriculture and farmers’ welfare department has enrolled about 1.25 lakh under the 'Farmer Registry' so far. With the deadline to register in the centralised registry that aims to streamline access to government benefits set at April 30, agriculture officials grapple with network issues and even tracking several of the remaining 30% farmers down to ensure they aren’t left behind.
With “many” of the farmers in the list based on the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme beneficiary rolls showing “little” interest in registering on their own, agriculture officials say that they are making efforts to ensure all eligible farmers are brought under the 'Farmer Registry'. Under the PM-Kisan scheme, an assistance of Rs 6,000 per year is provided to farmers.
The money is directly credited to the farmer’s bank account. To streamline access to government benefits like under the PM Kisan scheme as well as boost market opportunities for farmers, the state's agriculture department is carrying out their registration and well as their landholdings in the 'Farmer Registry'.
The 'Farmer Registry' is being implemented as part of the Union government’s Agri Stack programme. While farmers can register themselves, the agriculture department, besides reaching out to them individually, is conducting special camps to collect their data and e-signature, and generate unique IDs.
An agriculture official, however, said, "Several farmers have migrated to other places for work, making it difficult for us to contact them on the phone. The registration process requires the entry of OTPs sent to their (farmer’s) registered mobile number thrice. Many farmers also struggle to follow our instructions over the phone. Network issues further complicate the process, even though the farmers express willingness to cooperate."
Further, a significant number of farmers depend on others for providing us with the required details, which led to further delay, the official added. Issues with farmers’ land records also pose a significant challenge in completing the registration, officials said. The department, however, remains confident of completing the registration on time, they added.