___________

Following is an excerpt from a report in the New Indian Express.

The State Government will seek Central assistance of Rs 45 crore under the Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) for the current fiscal.

The Centre has introduced the new additional Central assistance scheme to incentivise the State which exceed plan expenditure consecutively in the last three years.

… The committee approved the proposals of the Agriculture Department, which has sought an assistance of Rs 10.10 crore for managing acid soil to boost agriculture production, Rs 8.8 crore for popularisation of farm mechanisation and Rs 2.52 crore for systematic rice intensification in areas having low rice production.

Under the rice intensification programme, field demonstration will be taken up where farmers will be educated on how to get higher yield with less use of seeds, water and fertilisers, official sources said.

The department has asked an assistance of Rs 2 crore for strengthening soil testing service, Rs 1.06 crore for bio-fertiliser application for pulses and oilseeds and Rs 55.55 lakh for promotion of organic farming through vermi hatchery and blue green algae.

It has also proposed to set up seed processing plant in Gajapati, Kendrapara and Jharsuguda districts and modernise the agriculture information wing in the city and at Sambalpur with an investment of Rs 1.80 crore and Rs 1.18 crore respectively.

Since the Centre will provide the additional assistance in two streams, the total estimate for 12 projects in the first stream is Rs 28.83 crore. Seventy-five percent of the additional Central assistance is for programme implementation while the remaining 25 percent is to bridge resource gap in the State plan.

The Government will ask Rs 15.94-crore Central assistance under the stream-II out of which Rs 4 crore will be for strengthening its implement factory at Satyanagar, Rs 2.45 crore for infrastructure development and strengthening the training centres (gram sevak kendras), Rs 7 crore for construction of 17 seed storage godowns and Rs 2 crore for establishment of agro-service centres at gram panchayat level.

Following are excerpts from a statesman report.

Union agriculture secretary Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra …was addressing the 46th foundation day celebration of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).

The Centre is planning for implementation of two schemes. The first scheme, for which Rs 5,000 crore will be earmarked, will concentrate on rice and pulse. A total of 133 and 168 districts of the country will avail the scheme for rice and pulse respectively. Many districts of Orissa are selected for the scheme, Dr Mishra, said. The second scheme, with Rs 25,000 crore will be implemented with active support of the states. Here the states can propose any project, they feel suitable for them, he added.

“Only rise of production will not solve the problems of the farmers. The post-harvest aspect including processing and marketing are to be taken care of. The premier institutes like OUAT should focus on those type of research, that help the farmers most, Dr Mishra suggested. Keeping this aspect in mind, the Centre is planning to set up three world class modern markets in Orissa,” Dr Mishra, added.

Describing Orissa as one of the leading states in disbursement of crop insurance, he said that the Centre is planning to implement the weather or rain insurance for the welfare of the farmers. He also emphasized on need of study on climate change, food security, maximum utilisation of national horticulture mission, and revitalisation of Extension System (ES), research on seed and opined that in favour of an integrated and holistic approach.