Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today reviewed the functioning of agriculture department city and directed the Assam Seeds Corporation Limited to produce the seeds required by the state’s farmers in the state itself.GUWAHATI: Assam has decided to set up 100 Farmers’ Producers Company in the state for ramping up agricultural production, collection and ensuring linkage with the national and international markets.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today reviewed the functioning of agriculture department city and directed the Assam Seeds Corporation Limited to produce the seeds required by the state’s farmers in the state itself.
In order to ensure supply of certified seeds to farmers, the Chief Minister instructed for setting up at least one seed distribution centre in every district. He also asked the department to prepare a detailed action plan for capturing the market of entire Northeast region along with the local markets.
Sonowal instructed the Director of Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project to set up 100 Farmers’ Producers Company in the state for ramping up agricultural production, collection and ensuring linkage with the national and international markets.
Youths must be attracted towards farming to achieve the target of ‘Atma Nirbhar Assam’ while adopting latest scientific innovations in the agricultural practices, he said. Opining that a large pool young people could be engaged in the agricultural sector as each company would employ 500 people, Sonowal said that these companies would be instrumental in streamlining linkage with national and international markets.
The Chief Minister also directed the agriculture department to provide a combined harvester to each of the 126 assembly constituencies in the state so that farm mechanization activities can be augmented. Notably, the harvester covers three bigha lands per hour along with helping in threshing of paddy.
The director of horticulture department apprised the Chief Minister that the state could a earn a total of Rs 357 crore during the 70 days of lockdown period by exporting vegetables to other states apart from fulfilling own requirement.
Directing the department to motivate the progressive farmers showing exemplary performance in horticulture production, Sonowal instructed the agriculture department to tie up with Assam Start-up Incubation Centre to provide better market linkage to the farmers to sell their products. During today’s meeting, the issues of tractor distribution under CMSGUY, Fasal Bima Yojna, providing shallow tube-wells etc were also discussed.
Sonowal stated the sector held immense potential to revitalize the state’s economy in the post COVID-19 scenario and economic advisory committee constituted for the purpose had also suggested rapid development of the sector. He also stressed on the need for better coordination among agriculture related departments apart from dedication of state’s farmers to capture world market with Assam’s farm products.
Source: indiatimes.com
