Berhampur: Fruits, flowers and vegetable farmers of Ganjam district have suffered a lot as they were unable to sell their produce during the pandemic due to lockdowns and shutdowns, a report said.
This has shaken them to hilt as the district horticulture department has stepped up efforts to provide them help through alternative cultivation methods. The department is laying stress on mushroom cultivation and providing them subsidies to raise their crops.
Over 800 farmers have been provided with 15 mushroom beds and Rs 1000 financial assistance each. Even women self-help groups adopting green house cultivation method have been provided with 150 mushroom beds and Rs 10,000 assistance each. Moreover, Rs 6 lakh has been set aside for mushroom cultivation. This has helped the women SHG members get involved in the schemes and earn a livelihood for their families.
This has given them a bit of relief when they were struggling to earn their livelihood during the pandemic. According to available details from the district horticulture department, cultivation of fruit plants like mango, banana, guava, cashew, groundnuts, coconuts and papayas have been taken up on 3185 acres with the engagement of 2775 farmers. These farmers have been provided with 75 per cent subsidy by the horticulture department, deputy director Sarat Chandra Behera said.
Similarly, cultivation of flowers like rose, gladioli, jasmine and marigold have been taken up on 127 acres with the engagement of 243 farmers. The small and marginal farmers have been given incentives of Rs 60,000 per hectare. The big farmers have received Rs 37,500 per hectare, he said. Farmers conducting flower cultivation in green house were given 70 per cent subsidy while 50 per cent subsidy is for farmers conducting cultivation in green shadow house.
Moreover, cultivation of high-yielding crops has been taken up on 2250 acres with the involvement of 2198 farmers. These farmers were given Rs 20,000 subsidy which is being transferred to their bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.
PNN