The state agriculture department has started distributing seeds of the quick growing spinach (palang) to flood-affected farmers.
A senior official of the state agriculture department said that those seeds will mature within 24 days after sowing.
“We hope that farmers could make up a part of their loss by sowing the seeds of the quick growing spinach. Accordingly, they could sell them within a month. Such seeds are being distributed to them free of cost,” he said.
Each farmer is getting seeds of around 150 grams of palang spinach and 50 grams of note spinach from local BDO offices. Over 1.60 lakh packets of spinach seeds will be distributed among the farmers of the twelve flood-affected districts.
Over 52.83 lakh farmers were affected with flood and crops of around 17,429 mouza were damaged. Compensation amounting to Rs.50 crore has been sanctioned and cheques are also being distributed among farmers.
Farmers are getting in between Rs.1000 and 27,000 as compensation.
Two senior officials of the agriculture department including principal secretary of the same department have reached New Delhi to meet senior officials of the Union agriculture ministry.
“This is a routine meeting. Senior officials from the state government met the senior officials of the Union agriculture ministry to discuss preparedness of the sowing of rabi crops,” a source said.