A recent announcement by the state government of Jharkhand is that farmers who sell their paddy to government procurement centres will receive an encouraging bonus of Rs 117. This means that farmers will get more than the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1888 set by the central government, which comes to Rs 2300 per quintal of paddy. This bonus is only available to farmers who have linked their bank accounts to their Aadhaar cards and are registered under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. Eligible farmers can anticipate having the bonus directly deposited into their accounts in about 15 days after selling their paddy.
In response to the demands of several farmers’ organisations, the state cabinet decided to implement this bonus during a meeting on 6 December The cabinet approved a plan to increase the target for paddy procurement for the current kharif season from 12 lakh metric tonnes to 20 lakh metric tonnes in addition to the bonus. It is planned that the procurement process will start on December 15 and run until March 31, 2024. The state government has allotted Rs 462 crore to support this initiative, which will help about 4 lakh farmers in the state.
The bonus programme, according to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, is a major step in the right direction towards meeting the goal of tripling farmers’ income by 2022. He reaffirmed the commitment of the state government to guaranteeing farmers get fair prices and prompt payments for their crops. In addition, in order to increase revenue and lessen dependency on chemical pesticides and fertilisers, the Chief Minister urged farmers to adopt organic farming methods and diversify their crop production. The goal of this all-encompassing strategy is to give Jharkhand’s farming community a prosperous and sustainable future.
