Government Policy : Agriculture

The Government of Assam in consonance with the National Agriculture Policy lay down few policy objectives in the Agriculture Sector. Those include:

1. The Agriculture and allied sector grows at the rate of 4 p.c. per annum for the next decade to provide food security and to improve the nutritional intake of the people of the State as well as significantly decrease the population below the poverty line.

2. To increase the productivity of all major crops, particularly that of rice, wheat, pulses and oil seeds.

3. To increase the cropping intensity in the sector through increase in irrigation facilities as well as giving a boost to mechanization in the State, to make it at par with the rest of the country by the end of the 10^th plan.

4. To diversify into other crops, specially wheat, oilseeds, and partly pulses, as well as improve production of horticultural crops.

5. As the bulk of the population in the State lives in the rural area and most of the people are dependent on Agriculture and allied sectors for their livelihood, the Government sees this sector as the engine for growth of the economy in the long run and wishes to treat the Agriculture Sector as an area of maximum employment generation in the State.

6. It should be recognized that increased cropping intensity and improvements in productivity and production for the market can only be sustained if the links of the farmers to the market are good, the market infrastructure well developed and the farmers get a remunerative price for their produce, it will be endeavor of the State to develop marketing and processing infrastructure by focusing on development of Rural Roads, Apni Mandis, Terminal Markets, District Level Markets for Agricultural produce as well as to focus on value addition of agricultural produce in the State essentially through facilitating private enterprise in the food processing sector. The development of marketing infrastructure and value addition has tremendous potential for developing the economy of the State, considering the strategic location of the State and the potential markets, which exist for our produce in neighboring countries like Bangladesh and in parts of South East Asia.

7. Since the resources at the disposal of the State are limited, the endeavor will be to converge the resources available under various Government schemes like SGSY and PMGSY etc. to ensure that funds are spent keeping in view the long term growth of the Agriculture and Allied Sector in the State.

The State has remarkable human resources in Field Management Committee, which have been functioning as an Extension Wing of the Agriculture Department. They shall be further strengthened and developed to function as SHGs to further strengthen the Extension activities in Agriculture. They shall also function as focal points for disbursal of Agricultural credit and as entry points for Extension activities of other allied sectors like Livestock and Fisheries