Assam agriculture minister Atul Bora on Thursday said that there are enough food stocks and the state will face no shortage of essential commodities due to lockdown.
“There is no shortage of essential commodities in the state and in coming days during lockdown we will not have any problem,” Minister Bora told reporters in Dibrugarh.
“Today we held a meeting with traders where all the concerned persons from the department were present and a discussion was held regarding the smooth running of essential commodities in the state,” Bora said.
He said that they are closely monitoring the situation so that no middlemen can harass the farmers.
“Till now 87 per cent free rise were distributed among the people under National Food Security Act. In this hour of crisis, all our departments are working in a total coordination for the smooth supply and distribution of essential commodities in the state,” Bora added.
When asked about the loss in the agriculture sector of Assam due of lockdown, Bora said they are assessing the losses faced by the agriculture sector.
“Under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Rs 2000 and under Mukhya Mantri Krishi Sa-Sajuli Yojana or CM Farm Tool Scheme Rs 2500 was released for the poor farmers of the state. We are very much concerned about our farmers as they are the backbone of our economy,” Bora said.
Minister of food and civil supplies and consumer affairs, Phani Bhusan Choudhury said that they are very much sure that there should be any shortage of food in the state during the lockdown period.
When asked about the hoarding of food grains by the traders during lockdown period, he said they are looking into the matter.
Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday twitted, “I have directed the district administration and agriculture department to send officials to the villages and meet the farmers so that they can explain the processes of farming and how to maintain social distance while doing it after April 20.”