The Odisha government on Monday announced a ₹507-crore special package for farmers who suffered crop loss due to unseasonal rain that lashed the State under the influence of Cyclone Jawad on December 4 and 5.
The government has decided to convert short-term farm loan to medium ones in areas where crop loss is 33% or more.
“Efforts will be made to extend institutional loan to farmers for the Rabi crop. Steps will be taken expeditiously to make loans available to sharecroppers through Joint Liability Groups,” said the State government in a statement. The package has been approved by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
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As per the package, the government will pay small and marginal farmers at the rate of ₹6,800 per hectare in rain-fed areas if crop loss is 33% and above while the compensation will be ₹13,500 per hectare for irrigated land.
The compensation for the loss of horticulture per hectare of land has been fixed at ₹18,000.
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Farmers will be given a minimum of ₹2,000 as an input subsidy for loss of all-season crop and ₹1,000 for other crops.
About 12,000 quintals of certified high quality seeds will be supplied to farmers in the 12 affected districts at concessional rate. Besides, 25% of concessional price will be provided to farmers through direct benefit transfer mode for the 2021-22 Rabi crop season.
Similarly, farmers in the affected districts will be provided with 50,000 mini kits of pulse seeds. Moreover, 4 lakh kits of vegetable seeds will be made available to farmers free of cost.
One lakh farmers will be assisted for hybrid vegetable crop. Each farmer will get assistance to the tune of ₹4,000 for 0.20 hectare.
The government will give concession for purchase of farm implements and machineries.
The State government assured to complete crop cutting experiment to ensure that farmers registered under the Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme get their compensation at the earliest.