Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma launches Assam Millet Mission

GUWAHATI: With a view to increasing millet cultivation across the State, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the Assam Millet Mission at a function held at Khanapara here on Wednesday.

Along with launching the Millet Mission, the Chief Minister also virtually inaugurated six Soil Testing and Quality Control Laboratories at Bongaigaon, Morigaon, Udalguri, Golaghat, Karimganj and Darrang and two knowledge centres at Dhemaji and Titabor at the same programme. Synchronizing with the programme, he also started the process of distributing 126 combined harvesters, 1,000 mini trucks, 450 village level farm machinery banks, 12,000 Solar PV pump sets, 8,500 five HP diesel pump sets, 5,091 power tillers, 2,23,963 quintals of seeds and 1,461 multipurpose pulverizers.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, "It is a historic day in the annals of the history of agriculture in the State. The Assam Millet Mission is targeted to raise nutrition quotient and doubling of farmers' income. The mission will also increase crop productivity and contribute to crop diversification."

The Chief Minister said that the Mission has been launched in synergy with Prime Minister's aim of Atmanirbharta (self-sufficiency). With the launch of the Millet Mission, the farmers of Assam can diversify their cropping practices and other than conventional crops, they can extend their farming to grow millets. He, therefore, congratulated the Agriculture Department for taking the initiative in launching the Millet Mission which in the beginning will be practised in 25,000 hectare of crop land. Subsequently it will be extended to 50,000 hectare of farm land in the State. He also said that the knowledge centres he inaugurated today will help the farmers of the State to gain knowledge and handholding about millet farming. He informed that in the coming days 96 more knowledge centres will be set up across the State under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for a quantum leap in agriculture production.

Specifying his Government's initiatives for the welfare of the farming community, Sarma urged the farmers to take the advantage of Mission Basundhara 2.0 and convert the status of their lands to patta land. He also informed that from next year, his Government has set the MSP for paddy at Rs 2,040 per quintal. He, therefore, asked the farmers to sell their paddy to the Government. He also said that the Government is helping the local youth to set up mills and other agri infrastructure with subsidy.

Sarma also asked the farmers to plant trees of different varieties such as sal, agar etc., around their farm land which, besides giving them commercial benefits, will also serve as demarcation of their lands. He also asked them to diversify to palm farming. Moreover, considering the huge demands of lemon, bhut jolokia, joha rice, he asked the farmers to grow these crops abundantly to become economically self-sufficient. He also asked them to be judicious in their farming practices and help the State in starting a new revolution in agriculture. He also talked on the necessity of making Assam self-sufficient in production of milk, poultry, fish, egg etc., and the Government's intervention to give a new lease of life to these sectors.

Minister Agriculture Atul Bora while speaking on the occasion gave a brief outline of the schemes of his department for the growth of agriculture. He thanked the Chief Minister for leading the way in helping the Agriculture Department to launch different schemes for the welfare of the farmers and growth of agricultural production.

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