State government has extended the deadline for app-based crop survey by farmers by another 15 days.
The deadline for the survey, that had started on August 24 with respect to kharif season, was supposed to end on Wednesday.
A circular says that the deadline has been extended following request by the deputy commissioners of various districts. According to a statement from Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil, there has been an encouraging response from farmers. “Though the survey has been taken up on an experimental basis this season, 88 per cent of target has been achieved,” the Minister noted, and said that such a progress had caught the attention of the Centre.
The mobile app-based survey, which had begun in 2017 itself, had gained momentum now. While pictures and details of 3,000 plots had been uploaded by farmers in 2017, the officials themselves had completed the process with respect to remaining plots. The survey had not been taken up in 2018 and 2019. It was reintroduced this year, with details of nearly 1.83 lakh plots being uploaded as against the target of 2.20 lakh plots.
Data collected through the earlier app-based survey had served as a reference point while transferring one-time compensation on account of COVID-19 towards crop losses through Direct Benefit Transfer to 7.29 lakh farmers who had cultivated maize. It had also helped in payment of minimum support prices and compensation towards those who had cultivated vegetables and flowers.
