Chief Minister Raman Singh on Sunday said that paddy is not only the crop of farmers but it is a part of cultural heritage of Chhattisgarh.
He was addressing citizens in his monthly Radio programme ‘Raman Ke Goth’ here.
Singh while referring to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambition of doubling the incomes of farmers by year 2022, said that the State Government has decided to test the soil of agricultural land in a particular region , supply seeds and train farmers.
The turnover of agriculture and allied business had already touched Rs 44,000 crore and the target is to reach Rs 87,000 crore by the year 2022, he said.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government had purchased 6.91 crore metric tonnes paddy between 2003-04 to 2016-17 and paid Rs 75,000 crore to the farmers.
An amount of Rs 2100 crore Bonus had been allocated for the paddy purchased in 2016-17. Bonus is being paid to tendupatta and sugarcane farmers also, he said.
The tendupatta procurers had been paid Rs 1904 crore as wages during the 2004-17 and Rs 1223 crore as Bonus since 2004-15. The 2.5 lakh sugarcane farmers are also being paid bonus and the financial condition of farmers had improved considerably, the Chief Minister said.
Singh said that authorities would pay bonus next year for the paddy purchased in the current year 2016-17.
He revealed that farmers would get Rs 1900 ( Minimum Support Price and Bonus) next year if they sell paddy through the Co-operative societies.
Farmers toil tirelessly in monsoons, severe cold and heat to feed the citizens. The State Government had paid Rs 2434 crore as bonus in the year 2013-14 and Rs 2000 crore as relief during the drought-affected season in 2015. There are drought-like conditions prevailing again this year in some parts of the State, he said.
Ninety-six tehsils had been declared drought-affected. The farmers will be celebrating 'Festival of lights' with enthusiasm and gearing up for the next season, Singh said.
The Chief Minister said that farmers will be able to conduct weddings of daughters and sons, construct houses and purchase essential commodities. Villages will prosper with the amount distributed as bonus, Singh said.
He said that there are about 14 lakh -15 lakh procurers of tendupatta in the entire State. The State Government had increased the wages from Rs 300 a bag to Rs 1800 per bag. Efforts are being made to improve the living conditions of the workers.
The Chief Minister said that State Government had been making efforts to diversify the revenue generating sources of farmers in the State.
He said that listeners of his Radio programme will be happy to note that now Chhattisgarh is not only leading producer of paddy but also that of fruits and vegetables. The area under coverage had risen to 10.50 lakh hectares for fruits and vegetables. The crop density had increased from 119 per cent to 137 per cent. There is an increase in production of paddy by 39 per cent, wheat by 24 per cent and pulses-oilseeds by 17 per cent. The production of horticulture crops had increased to 91 lakh metric tonnes.
Singh said that 'crop cycle pattern ' is followed religiously by farmers and is not merely a slogan.
It is a miracle that horticulture crops production had increased manifold.
Forty thousand farmers are registered in horticulture sector. Arrangements are being made to provide market facility. There is an increase in incomes of dairy, animal husbandry and fish farmers in the State, he said.
The Chief Minister said that purchasing capacity of farmers had increased manifold due to State Government's steps to decrease expenditure of inputs by farmers and financial assistance from variable sources.
He revealed that at present farmers own 1.50 lakh tractors in the entire State. Ten thousand tractors are sold to farmers every year in the State. There are 1400 registered harvesters and four lakh fifty thousand irrigation pumps.
Singh said that co-operative farming is popular in Bastar. The production of cashew nuts is around 6,000 metric tonne. The area under coverage is about 8,000 hectares. It is helping in utilizing unused land and from encroachments at-Bastanar, Bakawand, Bastar,Turenaar, lolapal and Darba regions. Co-operative model plant is coming up at village Aasna in Bastar.
The target is to achieve Rs 35 crore worth of production of cashew nuts soon. Steps are being taken to market cashew to Kerala, Karnataka and Goa, he said.