Now Reading: Assam pushes high-value crops, multiple cropping to boost farm incomes
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Assam pushes high-value crops, multiple cropping to boost farm incomes
The Assam government is steering farmers toward high-value crops and multiple cropping to make agriculture more profitable and less dependent on traditional paddy cultivation. Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika, speaking at a state-level…
The Assam government is steering farmers toward high-value crops and multiple cropping to make agriculture more profitable and less dependent on traditional paddy cultivation. Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika, speaking at a state-level workshop in Guwahati, told around 250 progressive farmers to maximise returns from land by cultivating crops that need less space, mature faster and generate higher income. He urged farmers to continue paddy while adopting double and triple cropping.
Hazarika said Assam aims to become a horticulture hub, with a focus on fruits, litchi and other horticultural crops alongside Rabi cultivation. The government will distribute about seven crore fruit saplings next season and push makhana cultivation in mission mode, targeting an additional Rs 40,000-50,000 per bigha from the crop. He also announced proposed externally aided projects of Rs 5,000 crore for agriculture and Rs 6,000 crore for irrigation. The state currently irrigates 21% of its farmland and aims to add another 20% in five years.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Assam's farm sector has long been dominated by single-crop paddy, leaving farmers with low returns and high vulnerability to monsoon variability. The push toward makhana, litchi and oil palm mirrors a national trend seen in states like Bihar and Mizoram, where high-value crops have lifted rural incomes. The irrigation target, from 21% to 41% in five years, is ambitious: Assam's annual rainfall is high, but lack of storage and distribution infrastructure limits effective coverage. With Rs 11,000 crore in proposed external aid, the government is betting on a shift that requires farmer credit, cold chains and market linkages to succeed. The department's roadmap, incorporating farmer feedback from the workshop, will be the next concrete signal to watch.
Source: assamtribune.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
