Assam Government Launches Agricultural Programs to Benefit Farmers

The government of Assam has allocated Rs 1000 crores (10 billion Rupees) to fund a Farmers’ Development Corporation and launched a number of farmer-oriented programs in the state.

On Friday last week, Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, said his government has been emphasizing the agriculture sector, commencing programs that aim to raise farmer income.

The Chief Minister held an interactive programme for farmers at his official residence in Koinadhora, on the outskirts of Guwahati. 100 farmers attended from different parts of the state. The state’s agrarian-led economy depends on agriculture and allied sectors for most of its development.

“We accorded priority to the agriculture sector and have taken up a number of schemes towards this end,” Gogoi said.

Declaring 2015 as the “Year of Agriculture,” the Chief Minister said his government is emphasizing farm mechanization this year, and farmers are being encouraged to adopt modern farming to raise agriculture production, thereby boosting their income.

“The state government would provide assistance to farmers who have done exceedingly well in their respective fields and asked the agriculture department to draw up a list of 100 selected farmers,” the Assam CM said.

Assam’s agriculture minister, Rockybul Hussain, said the thrust of his department is to move from single cropping to multiple cropping each year, as away to augment the income for farmers.

The Assam Chief Minister released a crop calendar to the media.

Hemanta Kumar Nath
Hemanta Kumar Nath is a correspondent in Assam, India, who reports on local news in Assam, the north east Indian state.