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New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Agriculture, fisheries colleges to be set up in Odisha's Balangir & Sonepur
BHUBANESWAR/BALANGIR: The state government on Tuesday fulfilled the long-standing demand of Balangir and Sonepur by announcing to set up agriculture and fisheries colleges in the two western Odisha districts respectively. The announcement was made by deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo at the state-level Krushak Samavesh held here to mark completion of the first year of the BJP government in Odisha. 'The Agriculture department has decided to set up a college of agriculture at Balangir and a college of fisheries in Sonepur,' said Singh Deo. The proposed college at Balangir will be the fourth such institute under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT). The other three colleges are in Bhubaneswar, Bhawanipatna and Chipilima. Currently, the state has only one college of fisheries at Rangeilunda near Berhampur in Ganjam district. The announcement of an agriculture college came as a consolation for the people of Balangir who have been demanding for an Agriculture university as promised by the previous BJD government which had also made a token provision of `1 lakh in the Agriculture budget for 2014-15 and 2015-16. The previous government had also started the process for establishment of a college of fisheries in Sonepur by constituting a committee headed by the dean of Agriculture, Chipilima to prepare a detailed project report. The district administration was also asked to identify a suitable location for the college which would require about 60 acre of land. After identifying a suitable site, the then district collector had written to the Fisheries and Animal Resources department in 2023 to send a team to assess the suitability of the area for the proposed college. Even after repeated reminders, there was no response from the government. The issue was raised in the Assembly during the budget session by Birmaharajpur MLA Raghunath Jagadala. To his utter dismay, Fisheries and Animal Resources Minister Gokulananda Mallik replied that his department has not received any proposal for a fisheries college in Sonepur.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Agriculture dept plans to use land to build farm produce shopping mall
Maharashtra's Agriculture department is planning to construct special shopping malls in different parts of the state where farmers can sell their produce directly to consumers. The malls are set to be built on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and will be on land parcels owned by the Agriculture department. The pilot project is likely to be set up soon. 'One of the main factors affecting the farmers is the right price for their produce. Some serious efforts need to be taken in this regard and this is one of the ideas that we are working on,' said Maharashtra's Agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate. The Agriculture department has over 35,000 acres of land across the state. It also owns land parcels in different cities which are either lying vacant or being encroached upon. Cities like Pune, Solapur, Nasik, Nagpur have such land parcels which are lying unused for years. These plots are being planned to be used for the purpose of building a special shopping mall in partnership with investors and private players using the PPP model. As per the plan, 50 percent of the mall will be given to the private players for commercial use where shops and showrooms of their choice can be set up. This area may be given on a 30-40 years lease basis to the private player. The remaining 50 percent area will be given to set up shops only to farmer bodies, self help groups, farm producers' companies and even individual farmers. 'Nobody other than those related to farmers will be allowed to set up shops in that 50 percent part,' said Kokate. The department is planning to undertake a pilot project soon whereby one such shopping mall will be built in each of the administrative divisions of the state. Based on the success of the experiment, a big city in each district will house such a mall. 'The land belonging to the Agriculture department has been lying vacant and in some cases encroachment too has been observed, especially in bigger cities in the state. The move is to put this land into use and convert it into a model which will ensure steady financial earning to farmers,' said Kokate.
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- Climate
- The Hindu
Heavy rain destroys crops in Kozhikode; farmers await compensation
The recent episodes of rain-related calamities have caused widespread destruction in the agriculture sector in Kozhikode district, forcing farmers to depend on crop insurance companies for compensation. According to preliminary estimates by the Agriculture department, crops on around 1,260 hectares of land have been destroyed. Within just four days of the onset of the monsoon, nearly 2,000 farmers who had taken up seasonal farming in hopes of a good harvest during the Onam season suffered significant losses. The total damage in the district is estimated at ₹3 crore. 'Both Agriculture department officials and representatives of crop insurance companies have assessed the damage. However, there is still no confirmation on when the eligible compensation will be distributed. From our experience, it can take over a year to complete the formalities,' said Abdul Kabeer, a plantain farmer from Mavoor who suffered major losses. He added that around 3,000 plantain trees were destroyed in and around Mavoor village alone. Revenue department officials said the highest loss was reported from Thodannur village, where about 240 hectares of cropped land were affected by torrential rains and strong winds, impacting over 1,800 farmers. 'Plantain farmers were the worst-hit, with approximately 4.53 lakh plantain trees destroyed across Kozhikode district. Some farmers had even taken up leased farming after availing bank loans,' said an Agriculture department official who participated in the field-level survey to estimate the loss. He also said that several paddy farmers suffered unexpected setbacks due to the heavy rain.
Hans India
20-05-2025
- General
- Hans India
Centre to issue Aadhaar like unique Id cards to farmers
Karimnagar: The Central government has decided to give a 'Farmer Unique Number' to every farmer in the same way as it has issued an Aadhaar card to every citizen in the country. The Central government has advised farmers to register their names by May 6. For the implementation of the registry programme, agricultural extension officers will visit the respective villages as per a fixed schedule and register the names of farmers. When the AEOs come to the village, either through Meeseva, the farmer will have to log in to the website and register his Aadhaar, Pattadar passbook or by online. Every farmer who has a land will have to enter the details of his land in this farmer registry and link his ownership details with the Aadhaar number, and the Central government will issue a Farmer Unique Number (Farmer ID) based on it. This 11-digit farmer identity card will be useful for the implementation of Central government schemes. The Central government has taken up this project with the intention of completely digitising the agricultural sector. The Agriculture department has asked all farmers to take advantage of it. Only the land ownership details available with the State Revenue department will be taken as standard and issued the unique card. No new ownership rights will be created. The Agriculture department officials have clarified that this farmer registry programme has no connection with the State government's Rythu Bharosa, loan waiver and other schemes. They said that the land ownership details available with the Revenue department are being taken as standard. As per the Central government's instructions, every farmer should provide his details to the local Agriculture officials for a unique card. Dr G Usharani Scientist (Plant Breeding and Head)Agricultural Research Station Karimnagar told The Hands India that the Centre does not have farmer-wise crop details and other information. The solution to all this issue will be provided with a unique identification number, which is why the Modi government has decided to issue a special card to every farmer. Kuppula Sathyarayana farmer, said the farmer Unique ID card will be of great benefit to the farmers. There are no government schemes and the farmer will get the convenience of access and that the Central government will have the opportunity to have complete details of every farmer and agricultural details, which will be of great benefit. Kunarapu Ramesh of Anthargam village in Peddapalli district said that there are many benefits through this code and if the Central and State governments implement them properly, the farmers will benefit a lot. He said that if the farmers are also given the opportunity to sell the harvested grain through this card, it will be of great benefit to the farmers.
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Paddy harvest begins under ‘vithu gramam' project
The harvesting of paddy cultivated under the 'vithu gramam' project of the Alappuzha district panchayat has begun at Edapon paddy polder in Nooranad grama panchayat. It was inaugurated by district panchayat president K.G. Rajeshwari recently. The local body launched the project to address the shortage of high-quality paddy seeds in the district. Officials said that farmers participating in the registered seed production initiative had cultivated Manuratna paddy variety. In the first phase of the harvest, 40 tonnes was procured from 20 acres. In addition to Manuratna, Uma variety is also being grown, an official said. One of the major challenges faced by paddy farmers in the district is the shortage of quality seeds. The district panchayat launched the 'vithu gramam' project by including it in the 2024-25 annual plan. Paddy farming for seed production is being carried out in accordance with guidelines set by the Agriculture department.
