MillenniumPost
Bengal

Farmers getting modern equipment thanks to CM

Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government has provided financial support worth Rs 225.8 crore to help farmers get modern equipment necessary for farming.
It may be mentioned that the agricultural yield in the state has gone up manifold in the past six years with such steps taken by the state agriculture department.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had taken up the scheme so that maximum number of farmers can get modern agricultural tools.
Till 2016-17 financial year, 1.82 lakh farmers were being benefitted out of the Financial Support Scheme for Farm Mechanisation (FSSM) and the amount that has been given by the state government under this scheme is Rs 225.8 crore to help farmers buy modern small or medium size tools for farming.
According to an official of the state agriculture department, besides financial assistance, it has also helped farmers in gathering knowledge about modern and updated technology for farming. It has ensured an increase in production of crops. Moreover, the farmers have started getting right price for their yield.
The official further said that different types of heavy tools are also necessary for farming. But it is not always possible for farmers to make such a huge investment to buy such tools. So the state government has taken all necessary steps to ensure that farmers can get such machineries on rent.
In between 2014 to 2017, as many as 586 Custom Hiring Centres (CHC) have been set up all across the state. CHCs are the centres from where farmers can take heavy agricultural tools on rent at a much subsidised rate.
Soon after coming to power, the Chief Minister had directed all concerned departments to take necessary steps so that farmers can at least make profit. It may be mentioned that average yearly income of farmers in Bengal has gone up to Rs 2.39 lakh in the 2016-17 fiscal, which was only Rs 91,011 earlier.
Moreover, 16.55 lakh hectares of agricultural land has been brought under crop insurance in the past six years. In 2011-12, only 4.45 lakh hectares of land was under crop insurance and now it has gone up to 21 lakh hectares.

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