Now Costly solar irrigation pumps to Chhattisgarh farmers

     Raipur, August 29, 2016: In an attempt to reduce the input cost on agriculture, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh today announced to provide costly solar irrigation pump to farmers in a throw away price.

     “The state government has set the target of distributing 50,000 solar energized irrigation pumps in the next three years to farmers in a highly subsidized price,” Singh told a farmers conference here.

     Giving details of the scheme, the Chief Minister said each solar irrigation pump is costing five lakh rupees but that would be provided to the SC and ST farmers in a price of only Rs 12,000, for the OBC the price is Rs 18000 and for the general category the government has decided to provide that in a subsidised price of Rs 25,000.

     On a subsidized price farm equipments are being provided and ponds and other spot water sources are being created and lands are being levelled through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

     Chhattisgarh government has been providing agriculture loan with a zero per cent rate of interest besides 7500 units of electricity free of cost, he said.

     In Chhattisgarh along with farming, the farmers are engaged in horticulture, floriculture, pisciculture and animal husbandry. Due to this integrated approach, the farmers here in the state are becoming self sufficient, Singh said.

     Talking about his recent visit to Rajasthan, he said where ever he go, he meets the Agriculture Minister of that state to understand the latest development and urged farmers to visit other states for getting exposure and adopt best practices of other states and make their farming economically more viable.