LALUP accuses Agriculture Department of deceiving farmers
Source: The Sangai Express

Thoubal, May 08 2026: Loumee Apunba Lup (LALUP), Thoubal has alleged that the Agriculture Department, Government of Manipur has been deceiving farmers by inviting fresh applications under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Machinery (SMAM) scheme without announcing the beneficiary list of the previous application process conducted in December last year.

In a statement issued by LALUP Thoubal president W Gojen, the association stated that the Agriculture Department had invited applications from farmers across the State in December 2025 for procurement of various agricultural machinery and equipment, including power tillers, rotavators, drones, mini rice mills, rice reapers and threshing machines under SMAM scheme.

The statement said that application forms were sold at Rs 200 each through district agriculture offices, following which several farmers from across the State, including more than 1,000 fasmers from Thoubal and Kakching districts, submitted applications.

According to the association, the last date for submission of forms was fixed on December 25, 2025, and a districtlevel committee meeting chaired by the Deputy Commissioner of Thoubal was convened on December 30 for selection of beneficiaries.

LALUP further claimed that the final list of selected beneficiaries prepared by the districtlevel committee was reportedly submitted to the Director of the Agriculture Department on December 31, 2025.However, the association alleged that the beneficiary list was never announced and instead a fresh application process has been initiated again with forms priced at Rs 200 each.

Describing the move as "totally unacceptable," the association alleged that the fresh application process was an attempt to deceive farmers and collect from them.

The association appealed to the concerned authorities to intervene into the matter and address the grievances and inconveniences being faced by farmers.

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