GUWAHATI, April 5 � The State Government has sketched out a mission to encourage organic farming and it is being launched this year. Funds for implementing the mission named Chief Minister�s Organic Farming Mission would not be a problem, said Agriculture Minister Nilamoni Sen Deka. He was inaugurating a review meeting organised by his department on bringing green revolution to the NE region here today. The minister also released the crop sequence list and crop calendar in the function.
The minister said that the Government has also proposed expansion in the size of the area under hybrid paddy cultivation from the present 2.4 per cent to 20 per cent.
With the amplified size of the area under hybrid paddy cultivation, the amount of rice being produced by the State is expected to be up by around 25 lakh metric tonnes over its existing quantity of production. Thus the total rice production of the State is expected to reach around 78.30 lakh metric tonnes.
Deka said that integrated farming would be encouraged through a new scheme for developing model gaon panchayats.
To resist indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the State would soon announce its fertiliser policy and to prevent use of farming land for other purposes, the State would also adopt a land use policy. The process to prepare the land use policy is on, he said.
He made an appeal to the officers of the Agriculture Department to espouse a competitive approach for competing with the other States.
To look into the problems in marketing the produce of the State�s farmers, the Agriculture Department is teaming up with the Food and Civil Supplies and Cooperation Departments. A joint team of the officials of the three departments will tour the entire State to assess the situation. The team will visit Andhra Pradesh on April 8. It will also visit Chhattisgarh and Punjab after the Rongali Bihu in this connection.
While the Agricultural Marketing Board has been asked to procure paddy produced by the State farmers, the Chief Minister has announced a high-level committee to look into the problems faced by the farmers in selling their produce, the minister said.
