Assam Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation, Pijush Hazarika interacted with mushroom growers on National Mushroom Day at the Assam Administrative Staff College on Thursday, reviewing challenges and outlining developmental measures for the sector.
Later in the day, he chaired a crucial meeting with oil palm companies to review expansion strategies across the state.
Addressing the mushroom farmers, Minister Hazarika emphasised the need to boost in-state spawn production and instructed department officials to conduct year-round skill training across all districts.
To strengthen infrastructure, he announced that the Agriculture Department will establish two spawn production units per district starting next year with an allocation of Rs 10 lakh per unit, alongside setting up 200 mushroom processing units statewide.
He also announced exposure training trips to states like West Bengal for local growers and State Government’s plan to grant Rs 1 lakh each to 1,000 progressive farmers from next year.
To reduce Assam’s reliance on external imports for daily essentials, the Minister advocated for adopting multi-cropping models and encouraged women to take up mushroom farming to enhance family incomes.
He urged farmers to utilise the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), reminding them that AIF loans are collateral-free and asking applicants to notify the department if banks demand collateral. He added that, as per the Chief Minister’s directive, the state will bring 20 percent additional land under irrigation.
During his meeting with oil palm companies, Minister Hazarika called on them to actively assist the department in attracting farmers to oil palm cultivation. He assured full government support in securing required land in the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.
Issuing a stern directive, the Minister warned District Agriculture Officers (DAOs) against unnecessary delays in clearing oil palm projects, stating that strict punitive action would be taken against negligent officials.
Concurrently, he warned oil palm companies to execute their cultivation plans within stipulated timelines, cautioning that unjustified delays would lead to blacklisting.