|
Guwahati, July 3: Assam is set to launch a vaccination drive against foot-and-mouth disease for cattle in the state.
Agriculture, animal husbandry and veterinary minister Atul Bora today said initially the programme would start in Jorhat, Nalbari and Golaghat districts and 3,200 doses would be provided to each district in the first phase.
He said the district veterinary officers of the districts have been directed to identify the areas where the vaccination would be carried out and the inauguration ceremony would be held in Golaghat district.
The minister said the drive would be conducted under his department’s 100-day action plan.
“We have also taken up artificial insemination (AI) in a mission mode and 1,66,000 doses will be administered under this. We will impart training to 40 gopal mitras (private AI workers),” Bora said.
The other projects to be taken up by the department under its 100-day action plan include intensive pig-rearing projects in Majuli, Bokakhat and Jonai, to operationalise the East Assam Milk Union Ltd in Jorhat, to organise training camps for dairy farmers and fodder cultivation under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
Bora said chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed the functioning of the agricultural department yesterday and several important decisions were taken.
“We will issue identity cards to all genuine farmers in the state, besides issuing soil health cards to 30,000 farmers within 100 days,” he said.
The soil health card is a printed report that will be given to farmers once in three years for each of his/her land holding. It will contain crucial information on macro nutrients in the soil, secondary nutrients and other physical parameters.
The card will be accompanied by an advisory on the corrective measures a farmer should undertake to improve soil health and get better yields.
Bora said under the department’s 100-day plan, the agriculture department will go for e-tendering to procure seeds in order to eliminate corruption, set up a cold storage at Chenijan in Jorhat district and a citrus fruit centre at Bamunigaon at an approximate cost of Rs 8 crore.
Bora, who also holds the urban development portfolio, said the department would construct commercial complexes at Lakhimpur and Kokrajhar, a truck terminus at Tinsukia, a business centre at Lanka and storm water drainage at Barpeta Road and Simaluguri.
The minister said the state government had reshuffled the top brass of the agriculture department.
“Additional director of agriculture (input) Bhabendra Nath Saikia will hold additional charge of director of agriculture while Manjit Talukdar, joint-director of agriculture (marketing), will hold the additional charge of chief executive officer of Assam Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium,” he said.
|
