Over 200K farmers in Rajasthan become self-dependent by producing seeds

More than 200,000 farmers in Rajasthan are becoming self-dependent by producing seeds in their fields and not buying them from markets.

This has become possible because of the Mukhyamantri Beej Swavlamban Yojana. The agriculture department has provided improved varieties of seeds to farmers for seed production.

A senior agriculture department official said farmers in all the districts had been given free seeds of wheat, gram, sorghum, soybean, groundnut, and pulses along those of other crops.

The official said the farmers’ produce increased with this scheme and their income grew, and the problem of improved seeds not being available at the time of sowing had been solved forever.

Agriculture Commissioner Kanaram said more than 224,000 farmers had been given 46,326 quintals (1 quintal = 100 kg) of improved seeds at Rs 24.81 crore in the last four years under this scheme.

“These farmers had sown the seeds in 58.47 hectares. As a result, 214,262 quintal seeds were produced from 2019 to 2022,” the agriculture commissioner added.

Looking at the success of the scheme, the chief minister in the last Budget doubled the size of the plan and announced benefiting 50,000 farmers. This fiscal year, 34,276 quintals of seeds, worth Rs 15 crore, were disbursed to farmers.

It has been observed that 50 per cent of the farmers are small and marginal and it is necessary that each farmer should have 0.2 hectares.

Girdhari Mamodia of Maacharkhani village, Jaipur district, said he got 15 kg of improved-variety seeds of gram free of cost, which he had sown in his field. The germination capacity of the seeds is good compared to the seeds available in the market. He expects good produce too.

Ramhetar, a farmer in Kanwalda, Jhalawar district, said he got seeds of wheat free. He will keep seeds from the produce, which he will use to sow in future. He will not have to buy seeds from the market.