Annual income of an Odisha farmer is Rs 59,712: Survey Report

Odisha government on Wednesday said the per capita annual income of the farmers in the state was Rs 59,712 as per a survey report.

Agriculture minister Damodar Rout said this while replying to a written question of BJP MLA Dilip Ray in the assembly.

Rout said though there was no formal method to evaluate the farmers income, the figure given by him was based on the situation assessment survey conducted by NSSO's (national sample survey organisation) 70th round of survey.

Such assessment was done for the first time in 2002-2003 and next in 2012-13, the minister said.

Rout said the farmers annual income of Rs 59,712 comprised Rs 20,592 as wages and salary, Rs 16,884 from agriculture, Rs 15,768 from animal husbandry and Rs 6,468 from non-cultivation activities.

However, the minister said steps are being taken to double the income of farmers by 2022 in Odisha.

A progressive agricultural policy, effective irrigation, mechanisation of agricultural activities, seeds exchange rate and others are priorities of the state government to enhance the income of farmers in the state, he said.

This apart, the state government has also set up a Horticulture Mission for next five years