SEACO for special policy on food self-reliance
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 16 2021: South East Asia Cultural Organisation (SEACO) has observed that it would be the right to take up a special policy on paddy fields and ensure self-reliant food production for the benefit of the people of the state.

In a statement, SEACO publicity secretary Thangjam Inaocha said that people of the state would suffer a lot and would look for food everywhere when another pandemic happens after the ongoing COVID-19 if preparation for self-sufficiency in food grain production is not made while there is still time.

There is specific time for food production whether it is paddy or vegetables, and this cannot be altered.

Before onset of COVID-19 pandemic, food produced from paddy fields of the state were not sufficient and depended on food imported from outside.

Amidst heavily relying on others for food, monsoon for the coming Kharif season is unpredictable and scanty rainfall receiving at present has been delaying commencement of sowing of paddy seeds.

Normally, the state receives huge quantity of rainfall during June and July months but rainfall even well into the middle of June is very less and monsoon is still unpredictable.

It would be very difficult for the people of the state to fight pandemic on one side and relying on nature for food on the other and hence it would be better to devise a special plan/policy for self-sufficient food production in time or else more suffering in near future is very much eminent, Inaocha said and urged the present government to take up a special plan/policy for food production at the earliest for benefit of the people.

The present government is working hard to defeat COVID-19 pandemic but it is necessary to devise a special plan/policy to increase food production while fighting the pandemic or else people of the state would suffer much in near future.

While stating that distribution of high yielding paddy seeds to farmers in different districts had already been started, SEACO demanded clarity on the distribution mode and asked if the distributed paddy seeds reach farmers or not as farmers are still unable to work in their fields or collect paddy seeds due to imposition of curfew.

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