PANJIM: In an attempt to encourage farming among the poorer sections of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes community, the State government has notified a financial assistance scheme with maximum subsidy limit Rs 12,000 per hectare.
The government conceded that since the farmers of the two communities are financially weak and do not use the required inputs as recommended for cultivation, the scheme would support them in taking up the traditional profession forward.
“The main objectives of the scheme are to provide financial boost to SC and ST farmers for taking up agriculture for their economic upliftment, to encourage youth for self employment in agriculture and to build up confidence among the farmers against price inflation of the inputs by assisting them thereby motivating farmers to use recommended package of practices,” the notification issued by Department of Agriculture states.
The criteria set by the government are that the applicant farmer belonging to either of the two communities should possess cultivable land, which should be in his name or on lease or other written agreement.
The scheme titled “Assistance for Purchase of Agriculture Inputs” proposed to provide assistance to the extent of 75 per cent of the cost on inputs such as seed, planting material, pesticides, soil conditioners bio-fertiliser, etc, with a maximum subsidy limit of Rs 12,000 ha. The quantity of inputs will be ascertained based on area of crops cultivated and recommended dosage. The maximum area to be considered for subsidy for an individual farmer is 2.00 ha for one crop season limited to subsidy of Rs 24,000.
