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Govt to set up 100-cr terminal agri market

By Staff reporter

GUWAHATI, Dec 19 � The State Government has drawn up a Rs 100-crore project for a terminal market for the agricultural produce under the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode. The Government is looking for an over 100-bigha plot of land for the purpose of setting up this facility.

Besides, the Government has already started working on a vegetable market on a plot of over ten bighas of land in the Garchuk area of the city and it is also exploring the possibilities of a horticulture market. The detailed project report (DPR) of the proposed horticulture market is under process and the Government is looking for a plot of 50 bighas of land for the market in and around Guwahati.

Disclosing this, State�s Agriculture Minister Nilamani Sen Deka also informed mediapersons here today that the Government is formulating a fertilizer policy shortly to prevent indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. It is encouraging use of bio-fertilizer and micro-nutrients by the farmers. This step is taken considering the adverse effects of chemical fertilizer and pesticides on the health of the common people.

Deka said tenders for supply of bio-fertilizers and micro-nutrients have already been floated. Some model villages are also planned to exclusively produce bio-fertilizer, dairy items, rabi crops etc.

Meanwhile, the Government has fixed a target of 89 lakh metric tonnes for paddy production and 39 lakh metric tonnes for kharif rice production during 2011-12. The State has fixed a target of 54 lakh MT for total production of rice in the year. The kharif harvest is almost 50 per cent complete and the Government is confident of achieving the kharif targets.

The summer paddy and ahu cultivation has also started, said the Minister.

Seeds of rabi crops have already been distributed for an area of 2.9 lakh hectares of cropland and the results have so far shown 90 per cent success. It is expected that the State would be able to harvest bumper crops of potato, mustard seeds and black gram this time.

The Government is confident that if systematic procurement of the agricultural produce is done by the authorities, the State would be able to attain self-sufficiency in agricultural production, the Minister said.

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