Farmers’ income in some States — Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Nagaland and Odisha — has declined despite the monthly agricultural household income of the country having increased from Rs 8,059 to Rs 10,218.
As per the data furnished to a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, the Department of Agriculture has stated that farmers’ income in Jharkhand it has come down from Rs 7,068 to Rs 4,895, in Madhya Pradesh from Rs 9,740 to Rs 8,339, in Nagaland from Rs 11,428 to Rs 9,877, in Odisha from Rs 5,274 to Rs 5,112.
This has been revealed in a reply by the Department of Agriculture before a parliamentary standing committee on Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The report was tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
Taking note of the department’s reply, the Committee headed by PC Gaddigoudar has said the department should formulate a special team to figure out the reasons for falling farmers’ income in those States and take corrective measures so that the doubling of farmers’ income is not lost sight of.
The report said the income of farmers has gone down when the monthly agricultural household income of the country has increased from Rs 8,059 to Rs 10,218.
“During the course of evidence, when the department has asked to inform the steps taken by it to increase farmers income in the States of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Odisha, the department’s Post Evidence Reply was lackadaisical in replying that the input in this regard will need to be sought from the concerned State Governments,” said the report.
It is a fact that many departments, organisations and Ministries of Government of India are responsible for doubling the income of each and every farmer of this country within a fixed time frame. “But there is no denial that the major task for doubling of income of farmers lies with the department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Government is to request the Centre to extend the deadline for paddy procurement till April 30 this year, in case it fails to achieve the target by March 31, a senior Minister informed the State Assembly on Thursday.
The target for 2021-22 is 80-lakh tonne, and the deadline for procurement is expiring on March 31. The State has achieved over 71 per cent of its paddy procurement target till March 23.
State Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister Rameshwar Oraon told the House, “We have already achieved 71.33 per cent of the target till March 23 and there are seven more days to go. “We are hopeful of achieving the target by March end. In case we fail to do so, a request will be made to the Centre to extend the deadline till April 30.”Oraon was replying to a question raised by BJP legislator Manish Jaiswal over poor paddy procurement in the State.