Agri office flops in Jiribam
Source: The Sangai Express

Jiribam, November 18 2012: Among other hardships faced by the people of Jiribam SubDivision, unavailability seeds of rabi and kharif crops is one direct major challenge confronting the farmers, said a team of Jiri Development organization (JDO)while inspecting the Agriculture office led by its President, M Hemanta Singh.

The Department was set up in 1980 and then attached with CDO firm.

Then in 1981 the department was shifted to Chandrapur.

Later, it has been shifted agin at Lakhipur in 1988 by upgrading it as a sub divisional office with a staff strength of 16 .

Then in 1990 the department changes its office at Kalinagar, Jiribam.

The department is surviving in rental office till now without paying its rent for more than three years.

Now the office becomes refugee camp without having its own land and office building.

The sub divisional agriculture officer has been retired in the month of August 2012 but no replacement has been coming yet.

Now the office is being run by only 4 staff without having any officer.

The parent-less office becomes deteriorated day by day.

Some of the staffs are being utilized at Imphal and some of them have been transferred but no replacement has been made by the higher authorities.

The Jiribam Agriculture office mainly dealing for the farmers doesn't have any clerk.

As such, the Village Extension Worker (VEW) is being utilized as a clerk.

The farmers of Jiribam are far behind to get any seasonal seeds due to unavailability of SDO.

It is to be mentioned that Jiribam has around 8018 acres of paddy cultivable land approximately but the farmers have no interest in cultivation due to the negligence of the department.

The machinery facilities provided to the farmers in subsidized rates have been given only at Imphal and its surrounding areas.

None of the Jiribam farmers avail the facilities from the Govt.The existing 3 staff are going to be retired in 2015, thereafter there would not be any more agriculture office in Jiribam, many feared.

The department wrote many letters to provide its own office land to the district administration but it couldn't make any positive response so far.

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