Odisha announces package for cyclone Yaas-hit farmers, fishermen

Bhubaneswar, Jun 10 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday announced a special package for farmers, fishermen, and traditional artisans who were badly affected by cyclone Yaas which hit the state on May 26.

The package was announced after a field assessment report said that the cyclone had caused extensive damage to standing crops and plantations, adversely affecting small and marginal farmers.

Animal husbandry, fisheries, handloom, and sericulture sectors have also been severely hit and the state government announced financial assistance to ameliorate the suffering of the affected people, an official said.

As per the package, agriculture input subsidy will be provided to the small and marginal farmers who have sustained crop loss of 33 per cent and above.

One-time assistance of Rs 6,800 per hectare will be given to the affected farmers in rain-fed/non irrigated areas, while Rs 13,500 per hectare will be provided to farmers in irrigated areas, a statement said.

Similarly, Rs 18,000 per hectare will be given for growing all types of perennial crops include mango, cashew, coconut, kewra. The assistance will be provided to the actual cultivators and not the landowners.

The package also made it clear that a minimum subsidy of Rs 2,000 will be given for all-weather crops and Rs 1,000 for other crops.

Farmers in the affected districts will also be given 1.5 lakh quintals of high-quality certified paddy seeds with a 25 per cent discount on the current rebate for the 2021 Kharif season.

The rebate will be directly credited to the account of the farmers through direct benefit transfer (DBT).

The farmers in the affected areas will be provided with 2,000 pump sets and 3,000 sprayers at a discounted price.

The cyclone-hit farmers in saline water inundated areas will be given an assistance of Rs 750 per hectare for soil nutrient management /soil ameliorants for 10,000 hectares. An incentive of Rs 15,000 per farmer will be provided to 125 affected farmers through DBT for the repair and renovation of betel vine cultivation.

A total of 10,000 farmers will be provided with high- quality saplings for Rs 115 for growing vegetables.

A sum of Rs 40,000 will be provided to 50 mushroom units and farmers will also be provided with over 10,000 vegetable mini kits worth Rs 150 each for free of cost.

An official release issued by the Chief Ministers Office said that expeditious steps will be taken to conduct crop cutting experiments to settle the claims of the affected farmers who were insured under PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana), with risks of localised calamity and mid-season adversity as per revised operational guideline of the scheme.

The chief minister also announced that short-term Kharif loans given to farmers in the cyclone-affected areas having crop loss of 33 per cent and above shall be converted into medium-term loans.

While a sum of Rs 30,000 has been announced for dairy cattle, Rs 25,000 will be given for non-dairy animals.

Similarly, Rs 3,000 will be provided per goat, Rs 16,000 per calf, and Rs 50 per poultry bird.

An assistance of Rs 2,100 will be provided towards the reconstruction of damaged cattle shelters.

Cyclone-affected fishermen will get Rs 4,100 for the repair of their partially damaged boats, Rs 2,100 for the repair of partially damaged nets, Rs 9,600 for replacement of fully damaged boats, and Rs 2,600 for replacement of completely damaged fishing nets.

An input subsidy of Rs 12,200 per hectare shall be provided for the renovation of damaged fish/fish seed farms and Rs.8,200 per hectare will be provided for damaged fish seed farms.

Under handicrafts or handloom sector, an assistance of Rs 4,100 will be given to an artisan for replacement of equipment and Rs 4,100 for destroyed raw materials and manufactured products.

Sericulture farmers will be given input subsidy of Rs.4,800 per hectare for Eri, Mulberry, Tussar, and Rs.6000 per hectare for Muga, it said. PTI AAM MM MM