Raipur, 13 June 2024//

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai initiated a series of department-wise review meetings aimed at expediting development across the state. The meetings commenced with a focus on the agriculture and horticulture departments, specifically addressing issues concerning farmers. Agriculture Development, Farmer Welfare, and Biotechnology Minister Ramvichar Netam was also present in the meeting

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, drawing from his own farming background and extensive experience in agriculture, shared an incident during the review meeting. He shared that he requested DAP fertiliser but received a different fertiliser inside a sack marked as DAP. Reflecting on this, he instructed officials to ensure such occurrences do not happen to the farmers, and emphasised the importance of maintaining integrity and accuracy in fertiliser distribution.

The Chief Minister stressed that enhancing agriculture and ensuring farmer welfare is the priority. He instructed the officials to ensure sufficient availability of fertilisers and seeds to facilitate agricultural operations effectively. The storage and distribution processes should be closely monitored to maintain smooth operations. Special attention should be paid to ensure that farmers get the fertilisers and seeds as per their demand during distribution.

Chief Minister Sai, known for his deep interest in agriculture, directed officials to identify and promote high-quality aromatic rice varieties across the state to enhance farmers’ income. He highlighted that Chhattisgarh boasts approximately 200 varieties of aromatic rice that are in high demand in the market. Additionally, he emphasised the potential for exporting these varieties internationally, which would significantly boost farmers’ earnings. To foster the growth of horticulture crops, he highlighted that the Jashpur district excels in large-scale production of mangoes, litchis, and jackfruits. He shared the commencement of tea production in the region and instructed to establish processing units for these crops.

Sai highlighted the onset of the Kharif season and anticipated early monsoon arrival this year, underscoring that agricultural activities would intensify with the onset of rains. He instructed officials to expedite all preparations necessary for the Kharif season, and emphasised the timely distribution of fertilisers and seeds according to farmers’ demands, with rigorous monitoring of the distribution process. The Chief Minister stressed the importance of integrating farmers with organic and modern farming techniques, along with ensuring the accessibility of agricultural equipment for them. He directed the officials to establish clusters to facilitate the availability of farm machinery such as threshers and harvesters.

Sai emphasised the integration of technology in agriculture. Officials provided updates on ongoing initiatives, stating that ‘e-girdawari’ (digitization of land records) will soon commence in Mahasamund, Dhamtari, and Kabirdham districts, with work currently underway. Additionally, through the Agri-stack program, a digital database containing farmers’ information and land maps will be established. This includes geo-referencing of farmers’ registries and maps, which will facilitate GIS-based digital crop surveys via mobile applications. These advancements aim to streamline ‘Girdawari’ processes with real-time data availability, initially launching as a pilot project in the mentioned districts.

During the review of the horticulture department’s progress, the Chief Minister instructed officials to increase awareness among farmers regarding horticulture crops. He emphasised the promotion of floriculture in response to the demand for flowers in the state. He also directed officials to formulate state-level projects aimed at enhancing the cultivation of soybeans, apples, palm oil, and tea. Additionally, he suggested that crop choices should be aligned with the climatic conditions of each region.

It was informed in the meeting that a ‘Center for Excellence’ will be established to promote horticulture crops. Shri Sai directed officials to raise awareness about the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana among farmers. He also urged officials to accelerate activities under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, focusing on watershed development through the construction of dams and water storage structures, as well as promoting livelihood activities. Additionally, the Chief Minister emphasised expediting the implementation of the World Bank-supported Chhattisgarh Inclusive Rural and Accelerated Agriculture Growth (CHIRAAG) project in tribal-dominated districts. This project aims to enhance socio-economic empowerment, improve household nutrition, and promote soil and water conservation, among other objectives.

Officials informed that the department has completed all necessary preparations for the Kharif season 2024, with sufficient availability of fertilisers and seeds in the state. In response to farmers’ demand for 544 lakh tonnes of seeds, the department has stocked 431 lakh tonnes of seeds and distributed 261 lakh tonnes. Comparatively, last year at this time, 402 lakh tonnes were stocked and 165 lakh tonnes were distributed.

For Kharif 2024, officials confirmed the availability of 13.68 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers for the farmers. This includes 6.50 lakh metric tonnes of urea, 3.40 lakh metric tonnes of DAP, 2 lakh metric tonnes of SSP, 1.20 lakh metric tonnes of NPK, and 58,000 metric tonnes of NOP fertilisers. Of the targeted chemical fertilisers, the department has stocked 10.38 lakh metric tonnes (76%) and distributed 4.98 lakh metric tonnes (36%) to the farmers so far. Sai instructed the officials to regularly monitor the distribution of fertilisers and seeds.

The Chief Minister reviewed the progress and status of various central and state-sponsored schemes. He inquired about the payments being made to farmers under the Kisan Unnati Yojana. Officials reported that 26,66,489 farmers are registered under the scheme, and Rs 13,287 crore has been disbursed to them. Payments of around Rs 2 crore are pending for 280 farmers due to account-related errors, which will be resolved soon after KYC verification.

Officials informed about a project prepared for maize production and processing in the Balrampur district of Surguja division. Chief Secretary  Amitabh Jain, Chief Minister’s Secretaries Shri P. Dayanand, Dr. Basavaraju S., Shri Rahul Bhagat, Agriculture Production Commissioner Smt. Shahla Nigar and other senior officials were present