Succour for distressed farmers

Kolkata: State Agriculture department has started distributing seeds of various food grains at no cost to paddy cultivators in Hooghly district, who suffered losses this year due to deficit rainfall.

Officials of state agriculture department have handed over seeds of food grains to 7,000 farmers in 9 blocks of the district.

The department decided to extend its support to farmers, whose agricultural yield was affected due to scanty rainfall this season. The department has opened a centre at each of these blocks to distribute masoor dal and mustard oil seeds to the farmers. According to a senior official of Agriculture department, many farmers, who failed to cultivate paddy, were upset over their losses.

The step was taken to instil confidence among the farmers.

Following the instruction from the department, the district administration prepared a list of the affected farmers and also identified the areas where the paddy cultivation had taken a major hit.

After conducting a detailed survey, the district administration also submitted a report to the agriculture department suggesting how the farmers can be compensated.

A scheme has been initiated by the department in the name of 'Area Action Programme' to provide assistance to the affected farmers.

According to the plan, the department would provide one kg mustard oil seeds and four kg seeds of masoor dal to each farmer who could not cultivate paddy this season.

The department has been distributing leaflets to discourage farmers from burning of agricultural wastes and garbage.

Farmers often burn waste materials on the agricultural land in some areas of the district.

The Agriculture department will also conduct a survey to ascertain the losses of the farmers in other districts due to deficit rainfall this season. The government will distribute seeds of various food grains to farmers in other districts as well.