Govt plans more awareness on crop insurance among farmers
Shillong, July 30: With unpredictable weather and natural calamities posing more risk to various crops, more farmers in Meghalaya have registered for crop insurance. In fact, the state has exceed its crop insurance target of 25,000 as over 30,000 farmers have already gone for it. However, the state government has decided to create more awareness about crop insurance to extend its benefit to more farmers in the state.
“(We have) decided to create awareness among farmers about the benefits of insuring their crops, just like they insure their lives and vehicles,” agriculture and farmers’ welfare Ampareen Lyngdoh told reporters after holding a meeting with a delegation of Hill Farmers’ Union (HFU) on Tuesday.
She urged the farmers to register online before the last date, July 31, for availing the scheme.
To ensure proper implementation, Lyngdoh said the government plans to organise block-level meetings with farmers to disseminate information on crop insurance.
She also noted that many farmers in Meghalaya do not own land and instead lease or rent it for crop cultivation.
Since the current insurance scheme does not cover such farmers, the minister has decided to convene an emergency meeting with banks to explore possible solutions for these farmers, many of whom have taken loans for agricultural purpose.
On the issue of deduction of agricultural produce in the markets, the minister stated that despite her efforts to address the issue, there has been no response for over a year and a half.
The minister mentioned that the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has passed a bill to address the issue. However, the rules for implementing the bill are yet to be framed, and it is unclear who will monitor the deduction of agricultural produce.
Lyngdoh assured that the government is willing to meet with the MDCs of the KHADC to find a solution. She emphasized that since this is the responsibility of the district council, she cannot bypass them.
The minister highlighted the need to sensitise farmers to cultivate high-demand crops and establish processing units. She also stressed the importance of providing training to farmers to make them more progressive.
She assured that the Agriculture department would respond promptly to incidents of natural calamities, with farmers required to inform the Deputy Commissioner and file an FIR within 24 hours.
With regards to FOCUS, Lyngdoh clarified that the department would look into issues faced by farmers who have applied for the FOCUS scheme but have not received benefits.
She announced the government’s plan to have special pricing for organic farming produces and encouraged farmers to cultivate high-demand crops. According to her, there is need to provide more trainings for farmers to make them more progressive.
Meanwhile, the minister assured the farmers that their concerns would be taken up with the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers, and they should not lose hope as the government works for the people and farmers.
