GUWAHATI, June 7 - A farmers� fair-cum-awareness programme on Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was organised at the Kahikuchi campus of Assam Agricultural University on the city outskirts recently to create awareness among the farming community of Kamrup district regarding the recently-launched PMFBY programme.
Organised under the aegis of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kamrup in collaboration with Horticultural Research Station, Kahikuchi, the programme was attended by over 700 farmers from different locations of the district. The inaugural meeting of the programme was chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of Assam Agricultural University Dr KM Bujarbaruah and was attended by Member of Parliament from Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency Bijoya Chakraborty as the chief guest.
In his welcome address, Dr DN Kalita, Programme Coordinator of KVK Kamrup, highlighted the risks and uncertainties faced by the farming sector and underlined the importance of the PMFBY in meeting the same.
Dr BC Deka, Director of ATARI located at the ICAR station in Meghalaya, mentioned that the PMFBY has overcome the deficiencies and weaknesses of the previous crop insurance schemes and urged the farmers to go for a more cost-effective mechanism of crop insurance through community-based approaches.
Addressing the farmers, Dr Apurba Chakraborty, Director of Veterinary Research of the Assam Agricultural University, said that the PMFBY is a highly simplified scheme which would make it easier for acceptance even by the small and marginal farmers.
Earlier, delivering her inaugural speech, Bijoya Chakraborty emphasised on soil health analysis for increasing farm-level productivity. She said that the PMFBY is an excellent scheme for the farmers to make up for the losses incurred by them on account of the vagaries of nature. She urged the farmers to avail the advantages of all the government schemes for their own benefit.
Dr KM Bujarbaruah said that it was time the State had a special agricultural cabinet for the inclusive growth of the agricultural sector. He also underscored the need for establishment of a farmers� commission in the State to look into the needs and aspirations of the farming sector and adopt pragmatic policy measures for its holistic development.
Pulak Mahanta, ADC of South Kamrup underlined the need for convergence of the agriculture, animal husbandry and irrigation departments for inclusive development of the farming community.
During the inaugural meeting, soil health cards were also distributed to farmers from Satpokholi village of Kamrup district, which is an adopted village of KVK Kamrup under the �Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav� programme.
Another highlight of the event was an interactive session with the farmers to enlighten them on the provisions of the PMFBY and address their queries. The session was facilitated by the Joint Director (Crop Insurance) of the State agriculture department, the District Agricultural Officer and the District Veterinary Officer of Kamrup district as well as functionaries from the Reliance Insurance Company.
Scientists from Horticultural Research Station, Kahikuchi, also participated in the interactive session.
An exhibition of agricultural products and technologies was also organised on the sidelines of the programme, which saw participation of several State and Central Government organisations, NGOs and SHGs.
