Hangkhanlian assures adequate urea supply to farmers
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 10 2018:
Agriculture Minister V Hangkhanlian has assured that the State Government would ensure adequate supply of urea to the farmers.
Releasing the 2018 calendar of Agriculture Deparment and State Agricultural Management & Extension Training Institute at its office chamber at Old Secretariat today, Hangkhanlian said that 15,000 metric tons of urea would be kept in stock ahead of the pre-kharif season to facilitate productive farming.
He clarified that the inability of the Government to store adequate urea in last year was due to late tender floatation for transport, non-functional of the machine at Namrup and occurence of landslides on the National Highways caused by heavy rainfall.
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To ensure timely supply of urea to the farmers this time, re-tender for transport of urea has been done, he added.
The Minister elaborated that for this year necessary preparation has been made to sow pre-kharif paddy across 51, 500 hectares of arable land in Bishnupur, Imphal East, Imphal West and Thoubal districts.
He said that areas in the districts where the paddy will be sown have been identified.
Responding to a query, Hangkhanlian said that the State witnessed about 20 percent reduction in total agricultural production in last year on account of flood.
Effective plans have ben put in place to mitigate the losses incurred in the natural calamity, he said.
He said that the Department had already distributed seeds to the farmers farmers to augment rabi crops.
He maintained that the Department is also trying to distribute certified seeds to the farmers at the earliest.
The Minister went on to say that the Department is also planning to channelise marketing of high value of crops like Chakhao besides organising cropping system based training programme in all the districts.
He further informed that under Mission Organic Value Chain Development in NE Region, organic plantation of Chakhao will be carried out across 500 hectares of arable land in Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and Thoubal districts.
Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture) Dr Suhel Akhtar and Director (Agriculture) Ph Rajendro were also present at the release function.