Did you know that a seed is the first stage of growth for a plant? Seeds form the bridge between two subsequent plant generations. Healthy seed is the most vital input for a bountiful harvest? Seeds have agricultural, medicinal, food, feed, ornamental and industrial applications. In short, a tiny seed holds great value for the grower!
Indian being an agriculturally dominant country, nearly one third of the total country’s population is involved in agriculture or related agro-industries. When our farmers produce profuse harvest, they’re indirectly supporting other industries and feeding a billion people in our country. This is why it’s essential to provide our farmers with essential tools, resources and seeds for agriculture.
Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s Mukhyamantri Beej Swavlamban Yojan (MBSY) is a positive step in this direction. Based on intensive researches, the agriculture officers concluded that community seed banks:
- Ensure resilience of farmers residing in extreme climatic/geographic conditions,
- Facilitate access to diverse varieties of plants and seeds,
- Enhance knowledge on hybrid seeds and agriculture skills, such as seed selection, storage, treatment and plant management.
Keeping these facts in mind, Rajasthan government introduced MBSY—a scheme that aims at providing farmers with quality seeds from local seed banks. The idea is to limit their reliance on outside sources that sell particular seeds at high prices.
On the second day of collector SP conference held in Jaipur, CM Raje viewed a presentation by Rajasthan agriculture department. After reviewing their presentation, CM Raje instructed agriculture officers to link more farmers with the MBSY scheme. Additionally, she directed them to rope in organic fertilizers and pesticides in this scheme. All these resources will be made available to farmers before the onset of monsoons.
Mukhyamantri Beej Swavlamban Yojana will kick off in three Rajasthan districts—Udaipur, Bhilwara and Kota. The three agriculture hubs contribute maximum share to the state economy. The CM ordered timely implementation of the pilot project on seeds to provide quick benefits to farmers.
Besides this, the state will offer 50% subsidy (up to 20 lakhs) on setting up agricultural processing units on field. Crop loans worth 15,000 crores (interest rate: 7.1% per annum) will be provided to 25 lakh farmers in state via state cooperative banks. The government is preparing 1150 clusters to promote organic farming.
Rajasthan farmers will get soil health cards and subsidized electricity for irrigation and processing. Moreover, they can access agriculture tips on Rajasthan Girdawari app. There are crop insurance portals and e-NAM (online mandis) to smoothen the process of selling crops in the market.
All these reformatory schemes will open up new and better prospects of growth for our farmers!
