Centre to invest Rs 480 crore for NE in agriculture

Aizawl, Aug 4 (UNI) The Union Ministry of Agriculture has chalked out a Rs 480 crore new budgetary allocation for the NE region to administer various new agricultural schemes during 2007.

The amount would be spent for agricultre census, procuring seeds, fertilisers, plant protection, machinery, crops, marketing, credit, information technology and plan and policy.

Out of the total amount, Rs 20 crore has been earmarked for the mass media use in agriculture extension and Rs 150 crore for technology mission on integrated developent of horticulture products.

Rs eight crore to support to state extension services and setting up agriculture business clinic.

The rest of the amount would be spent for the development and strengthening of organic farming, strengthening and modernisation of pest management, ousourcing and demonstration of newly development equipment, promoting and stregthening of IT in agriculture and establishment of central institute of horticulture.

Central department for agriculture and cooperation has been entrusted the task of introducing all these new schemes across NE states.

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