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Custom hiring centers will open in eight blocks of Sitamarhi. From here farmers will be able to easily rent modern equipment like tractors, threshers etc. This will increase the income of small farmers and make farming easier.
Sitamarhi. The Agriculture Department has taken a big step to connect small and marginal farmers with modern farming in Sitamarhi district. Custom hiring centers have been approved in eight blocks of the district—Bairgania, Bajpatti, Bathnaha, Belsand, Parsauni, Choraut, Majorganj and Runnisaidpur. Through these centres, farmers will be able to rent expensive agricultural equipment for ploughing, sowing, transplanting, harvesting and threshing. According to District Agriculture Officer Shantanu Kumar, many farmers are unable to buy modern equipment due to financial constraints, due to which they are deprived of technical benefits. Through these hiring centres, now even small farmers will be able to do agricultural work on time and increase production.
Subsidy will be available from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 12 lakh
The Agriculture Department said that at least five essential agricultural equipment will be provided to each selected hiring center at subsidized rates. Modern equipment like tractors, rotavators, cultivators, seed and fertilizer applying machines, reapers, threshers, power sprayers, moisture measuring instruments will be kept in the centres. No part of these instruments can be sold, mortgaged or transferred within six years. This system is being ensured by the government by giving subsidy ranging from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 12 lakh, so that modern farming can reach every village.
Eight applicants selected on lottery basis
A total of 65 applications were received for the establishment of Custom Hiring Center in the district, out of which eight applicants were selected on the basis of lottery. Of these, one center has been selected from Scheduled Caste quota and seven from General category. Permits have been issued to selected groups by the government. There will be a monthly review of the equipment kept in the centers and a complete register of usage will also be maintained. According to officials, this system will help in maintaining transparency and providing better services to the farmers.
Time and cost will be saved
With the establishment of these centres, the farmers of the district will get easy access to modern technology. The use of machines in farming will not only save time but will also reduce production costs. This will help in increasing the income of small and marginal farmers. The Agriculture Department believes that this model will prove to be a milestone for agricultural reform in the future, because it will also promote group farming and use of collective resources.
