SHILLONG, Aug 30 - Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala today said Assam�s flood survey report is yet to be received by the Centre after which farmers would be compensated for loss of their standing crops under laid norms.
�The Assam government is yet to send a survey report of the flood. After the report is received and verified, the Centre would accordingly compensate the farmers for their crop loss under laid norms,� Rupala said after attending a programme at ICAR, Umiam.
The minister said all farmers are compensated during natural calamities for loss of their standing crops. The process is carried out based on a survey report undertaken by the state government and sent to the Centre.
After due verification of the report, the Central government releases fund for the loss the farmers incurs due to natural calamities such as flood and drought.
Expressing optimism on the potential of farmers in the Northeast, he said much of the potential has not been realized due to various factors. He said that the region could be the driving factor if India was to succeed in organic farming.
Citing the example of Sikkim, he said, the organic produce from the Himalayan state is being sold at a premium at different markets of the country and urged other states of the Northeast to emulate Sikkim�s success story.
Rupala further urged the farmers to adopt scientific means of farming and use of technology in the fields. He said such methods would not only improve yield but also protect their produce from damage.
He nonetheless acknowledged some of the challenges before the northeastern states and said that the connectivity issue needs to be addressed so that farmers have easy access to markets.
