Haryana agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister Jai Prakash Dalal on Wednesday directed to open e-kshatipoorti portal from October 1 so that cotton producers can register information pertaining to the damage to cotton crop due to pest attack.

Dalal chaired a meeting with officers of the agriculture and revenue department and decisions were taken to extend support to the farmers, according to a release. 

The minister said that after registration of crop loss details and verification by the government, financial assistance will be provided to the affected farmers based on damage assessment reports. 

The cotton crop has been affected by pink bollworm and the minister directed the officers to start cotton crop-cutting experiments in each village. 

“To increase the precision of loss assessment in the cotton crop and ensure fair distribution of financial assistance, videography will be conducted during the crop-cutting experiments,” said Dalal. 

The agriculture minister said that the Haryana Fasal Suraksha scheme tailored for the cotton crop has been started in districts falling under Cluster-2. This scheme will provide vital support to farmers who did not receive crop insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, he added.

Dalal said that the Meri Fasal-Mera Byora portal will be accessible for three days, enabling farmers to promptly register details of their crops. This registration will facilitate streamlined selling of crop produce and ensure efficient management of the farming community’s needs, he said. 

The farmers have been urged to register their cotton crop on the agriculture department’s website by September 30 and secure their crops by paying a nominal fee.

Source - https://www.hindustantimes.com