Opposition Congress and BJP members on Tuesday targeted the State Government over its various “failures” to provide supports to farmers and effect development in the agriculture sector during its long years of rule.
However, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empower Minister Dr Arun Kumar Sahoo claimed that the Government has implemented various schemes for development of famers and farming on a priority basis.
Initiating discussion on a related Adjournment Motion, Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingh Mistra alleged that the BJD Government, during its 19 years of rule, has failed in effecting any improvement in irrigation and agriculture sectors and in providing required support to farmers.
“The State Government had in 2006 promised to create irrigation facilities for 35 per cent of cultivable land. In 2008, it had promised to provide Rs 5 lakh to each village for creating irrigation facilities. It also made a promise in 2009 to provide electricity to all farmers free of cost. In 2014, the Government also promised to set up a second Agriculture University in the KBK region. Not a single of these promises has been met,” said Mishra.
He also alleged that the Government has failed to complete the Lower Suktel, Lower Indra and Ong irrigation projects during the last 20 years.
Stating that the Government has failed in providing right prices to farmers for their produce, Mishra demanded that paddy be procured at Rs 2,500 per quintal in line with the Chhattisgarh Government so that their economic condition would improve. He alleged that paddy distress sale has been rampant across the State.
“According to a Government assessment, a farmer spends Rs 2,344 for production of a quintal of paddy. But the Union Government has fixed Rs 1,750 MSP for a quintal of paddy despites its promise of making the price 1.5 times of cost of production. As such, a farmer having five acres of land suffers a loss of Rs 60,000 per year if he produces 20 quintals of paddy on an acre of land as per Government estimation. KALIA assistance of Rs 5,000 would not make up for the loss. Thus, paddy should be procured at Rs 2,500 per quintal,” demanded Mishra.
He termed the Government as anti-farmer.
BJP members Jayanarayan Mishra, Madan Mohan Majhi and Nauri Nayak and Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati too made such allegations.
But BJD members Prashant Muduli, Dhurba Charan Sahoo, Ramesh Chandra Sai and Prashant Behera refuted the charges.
In his reply, the Minister said the State Government has always worked for the development of farmers and the firming sector on a priority basis.
“Though the State is facing the wrath of different kinds of natural calamities almost each year, the food grain production has risen for which the Government has got Krushi Karman award from the Centre seven times. The farmers’ annual income has been doubled from Rs 23,277 in 2012-13 to Rs 53,450 now. Farmers are being provided loans at 1 per cent interest up to Rs 1 lakh,” said Sahoo.
He said assistances under the KALIA Yojana has already been given to 51,45,000 farmers and more than 23 lakh farmers would be covered under it.
Expressing unhappiness, the Congress members staged a walkout.