Bhubaneshwar: As the agriculture input subsidy provided to farmers affected by twin calamities of drought and pest attack is too small compared to the production cost, the State Government on Sunday urged the Centre to enhance the assistance at least by 50 percent for rainfed areas.

The State Government’s request came in the wake of resentment of farmers for the abysmally low amount of assistance provided as input subsidy. “The quantum of input subsidy currently provided to the farmers is as per the guidelines of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). The Central Government has to bring necessary changes in the guidelines to provide enhanced assistance to the farmers,” Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi told reporters after a meeting with the Central team.

The Central team headed by Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Gajendra Singh Shekhawat reviewed the crop loss situation of the State at a high-level meeting here. “We requested the central team to take up the issue with the Ministry concerned for the interest of the farmers,” Sethi said.
The State Government had recently announced to provide agriculture input subsidy to small and marginal farmers, who have sustained crop loss of 33 percent and above due to pest attack at the rate of `6,800 per hectare in rain-fed/non-irrigated areas, and `13,500 per hectare in areas under assured irrigation.

The SRC said the existing norms of assistance from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and NDRF do not provide for expenditure on the revival of defunct lift irrigation (LI) points which is crucial in a drought situation to save the standing crops and for taking up the next crops. “We requested the Centre to permit such expenditure from SDRF by making necessary amendment to the existing SDRF/NDRF guidelines,” he said.

The State Government further requested the Centre to allow the State for full restoration infrastructures damaged by major disasters. The present norms of SDRF and NDRF permits only temporary restoration of damaged infrastructure.

As farmers will not be entitled to any interest relief after conversion of short-term loan to medium term, the State Government urged the Centre for interest subvention of at least 3 percent to lessen the loan burden of the farmers.

Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Sourav Garg said the Central team was requested to suggest to the Centre for finding a permanent solution to a natural disaster like drought and pest attack. Expressing his displeasure over the delayed response of the State Government to pest attack, the Union Minister wondered how the State despite having abundant water resources is still lagging in irrigation.