Madhya Pradesh to double irrigable land to 80 lakh hectares by 2025, state plans agency to export farm produce

BHOPAL: The BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh plans to double its irrigable agricultural land from the present 40 lakh hectares to 80 lakh hectares in the next seven years.

The state’s chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that by 2025 the irrigable land in the state would be increased to 80 lakh hectares. “Thirteen years ago when my government came to power, only 7.5 lakh hectare land was irrigable. Owing to sustained efforts by the government to render irrigation facilities to the farmers, the irrigable land in the state now stands at 40 lakh hectares. We’ve drawn a roadmap now to double the irrigable land to 80 lakh hectares by 2025 by spending a whopping Rs 1.10 lakh crore,” said Chouhan.

While addressing the farmers in Bhopal on Saturday, the chief minister also announced that the state is planning a specialized agency for facilitating export of bumper agricultural produce of MP’s farmers. “The agency will not only devise mechanism for exporting farmers’ agricultural, horticultural and floricultural output, but also guide the farmers to export their produce in the best possible way. The agency in the making will work in coordination with the central government,” said Chouhan.

Further, the CM announced the launch of 24x7 toll free telephone helpline (0755-2540500) to address all farmers’ woes in the state. “A dedicated team will work at the CM’s office only to make this round the clock helpline a success.”

The CM also announced that in addition to buying the wheat output of farmers at Rs 1735 per quintal minimum support price (MSP), the state government will also pay an additional incentive Rs 265 per quintal to wheat farmers this season. A similar additional incentive of Rs 200 per quintal will be paid to paddy and wheat farmers who sold their produce last season. The additional incentive of previous and present season will be directly credited into the accounts of the farmers.

While maintaining that the mustard, masoor and gram crop of farmers will be purchased by the government on MSP instead of the direct benefit transfer Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana, the CM said an additional incentive of Rs 100 per quintal will be credited into the bank accounts of producers of these three crops.

Maintaining that the Krishi Karman Award win by MP for the fifth time is the result of the farmers’ hard work, the CM also announced that to prevent poppy husk (remains of opium crop) being smuggled by drug smugglers, the state government would directly buy the poppy husk from licensed opium farmers in Mandsaur, Neemuch and Ratlam district and destroy it subsequently to ensure that the opium crop remains don’t fall in hands of narcotic smugglers.

About MP losing its claim to market the Basmati Rice under the GI tag, the CM said he has taken up the issue with the union commerce minister Suresh Prabhu recently. “We’re already the development in the court and are optimistic of winning it,” said Chouhan.