Bhubaneswar: In the current financial year budget in Odisha has brought many new schemes, facilities and subsidy programs for the farmers. Among those schemes the below mentioned are the major ones:
The Minimum Support Price: In this scheme the government purchases food grains from the farmers by a minimum set price. For example, the government has announced a minimum support price of 23,00 rupees per quintal paddy procurement along with an 800 rupees subsidy. For ragi procurement, it is 4, 290 per quintal with an input subsidy amount Rs 210. Under the PM Kisan Nidhhi, the government has announced to provide Rs 6,000 per annum to each farmer. This amount will be credited directly to the bank account of the farmers in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each. There will be another scheme attached to it named CM Kisan Samman Yojana, where Rs 4,000 will be given directly to the bank account of the farmers. These subsidies will help them in capital investment in agriculture.
The credit facilities are also made easy and flexible for the farmers by providing them interest free loans up to 1 lakh. If the loan amount exceeds up to 3 lakhs, the interest charges will be of 2 percent.
There is a facility for crop insurance for the natural disasters situation to ensure the crop damage, crop loss etc by investing a token amount of one rupee by the farmer.
Far mechanization, which the capital intensive, capital input or capital investment 40 percent subsidy will be granted in case of purchasing any agricultural machinery and equipment. For the groundwater irrigation system there is up to 75 percent and upto 60-80 percent subsidy for drip and sprinkler.
It is highlighted in the budget of the union government this year that the country is facing a high inflation rate. But the inflation occurs not due to the shortage of production but for the post production management. Therefore the government has announced to provide a subsidy upto 60 percent for the cold storage facility. An allocation of 250 crores has been granted for the construction of cold storage within a span of five years from 2025-26. The cold storages will be set up in the sub divisions for the easy access of the farmers.
The production of potatoes are to be given priority in this financial year as in the last financial year it was a highlight of the Odisha market as the shortage of potatoes made a ruckus all around. In the promotion of potato cultivation process the involvement of women self help groups, farmer producers organisation and the individual farmers will help to meet the demand of potatoes the market and increase productions.
-OdishaAge
