Northeast agro textile farmers’ income increased, says ministry

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Dec. 28 (EMN): According to the year-end review for 2019 of the ministry of Textiles, concerning the scheme for promoting the use of agro textiles in the Northeast region, there is an increase in the income of farmers engaged in the sector.

A report from the Press Information Bureau (PIB) states that “the usage of Agro textiles in the Northeast region has led to average increase in farmers’ income by 67% to 75%. Increase in intensity of crop cycles by 3 to 4 crops in a year is seen as there is cultivation throughout the year. It has led to reduced water consumption by 30%-45% and has prevented damages to crops due to birds and hailstone.”

Also, according to the scheme for promoting usage of geotechnical textiles in Northeast region the “use of geotextiles in infrastructure projects has led to improvement of serviceability of the infrastructure and increased maintenance intervals for infrastructure such as roads and hill slopes.”

The PIB report mentioned that the government was implementing the scheme for the integrated textile park (SITP) which provides support for creation of world-class infrastructure facilities for setting up of textile units. It is backed by a government of India grant of up to 40% of the project cost subject to a ceiling of INR 40 crore. 

However, the government’s grant is up to 90% of the project cost for each of the first two projects in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir with ceiling of INR 40 crore for each textile park.

The scheme, the report stated, is demand driven. A total of 59 textile parks have been sanctioned for as part of the SITP by the ministry of Textiles out of which 22 textile parks have been completed while the rest are in various stages of construction, the updates state.

The Textiles ministry, it maintained, has taken various steps through the Central Silk Board (CSB) to protect the interest of silk producers.

The PIB report stated that the “CSB through a restructured central sector scheme silk Samagra and 38 projects under Northeast region textile promotion scheme (NERTPS) protects the interests of the farmers by supporting them through beneficiary-oriented components like raising of kisan nursery, plantation with improved mulberry varieties, irrigation, chawki rearing centres with incubation facility, construction of rearing houses, rearing equipment and door to door service agents for disinfection.”

“42,026 beneficiaries have been covered. Mulberry plantation in 32,552 acres has been developed. Raw silk production in the Northeast region has increased from 4,602 MT in 2013-14 to 7,482 MT 2018-19 with total increase from 17% to 22% of India’s total production,” the report read. 

“It has generated employment for the tribal communities and also created sustainable livelihood for them. The positive impact of this is reflected in significant increase in Disease Free Layings (DFLs) consumption, cocoon production, raw silk production besides increase in income from sericulture and its share in the total annual family income.”

Further, for the welfare of the handloom weavers, life and accident insurance coverage are provided to handloom weavers and workers who are enrolled in the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and the converged Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana across the country. 

The details of benefits and total annual premium, share i.e. government of India, LIC and weavers/ workers enrolled with the PMJJBY/PMSBY and converged MGGBY in the Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme are given in the table.