The Jagatsinghpur district administration has set a target to cultivate 1.04 lakh hectares of land for various crops for the Kharif season ahead. Thrust will be given to increase the acreage of pulses, oilseeds, vegetable farming and other crops which will provide cash benefits and easy marketing for the farmers during the stressful Covid time, said sources.
The district Agriculture Strategy Committee meeting for Kharif 2021 was held on Tuesday through virtual mode, where Collector SK Mohapatra chaired and discussed with agricultural stakeholders and set a target to cultivate 86.220 hectares of paddy, 82 hectares of pulses,15,815 hectares of vegetables, 1,870 hectares of sugarcane and other crops.
More than 70 per cent of the district's population depends on the agriculture sector. The State Government has announced special packages and schemes for farmers to boost agricultural and horticultural activities in the wake of the second wave of Covid 19 outbreak.
As many as Rs 61,010 lakh agriculture loan will be provided to farmers through banks and the debtor farmers will be covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in the Kharif season to mitigate the risk of natural disaster, the committee decided. As agriculture season will set in soon, farmers are in need of seed, fertiliser and agriculture components etc. The Collector instructed the officials to ensure ample supply of the same in time.
