Pankaj Nath, Assam: Piyush Hazarika, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Department, Government of Assam, on Friday formally launched the farmer registration of small tea growers in two separate programmes in Bishwanath district. The campaign is linked to the ongoing farmer registration portal across Assam, which now includes tea and plantation category land, so that small tea growers can get official farmer ID. The first programme started with a gathering held in the Bihali region, where Minister Piyush Hazarika addressed the small tea farmers present and explained how they will be directly connected to government schemes and facilities through farmer registration.
On this occasion, District Agriculture Officer, local public representatives, former MLAs, dignitaries associated with plantation and agriculture sector and representatives of farmers’ organizations were present. This platform formed the basis for the formal launch of the registration process for small tea growers under Bihali Assembly Constituency. The second major event took place at Kamalakanta Natya Samaj Auditorium in Bishwanath Chariali, where the Agriculture Minister again addressed the small tea farmers and said that the state government has for the first time formally recognized small tea growers as farmers. He explained that through farmer registration, these producers will be able to get the benefits of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, crop insurance, subsidy on farm machinery, fertilizers and other agricultural related government facilities from a single platform. The Minister also appealed to all eligible small tea growers to get registration done at the earliest.
The Farmer Registration Portal developed by the state government is a centralized digital database that connects the farmer’s personal information, Aadhaar and land records to ensure their easy access to subsidies, crop insurance and various agricultural schemes. The decision to include tea and plantation land in the portal has been described by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Agriculture Minister Piyush Hazarika as a “historic step” for small tea growers as it will enable them to get formal farmer identification, loans at cheaper rates and benefits of schemes without middlemen.
The government estimates that through this registration process, lakhs of small tea growers in the state will be directly benefited, who were not able to fully connect with many central and state-level agricultural schemes till now. This initiative will not only strengthen the income and security of small tea farmers, who are the backbone of the tea industry, but will also provide a long-term support to the rural economy of Assam.
