Bhubaneswar, December 4: The average monthly income of farmers in Odisha is a mere Rs 5,112, according to Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo, who made this statement in the state Assembly on Wednesday.
Citing data from the National Statistical Office (NSO), Singhdeo shared that the average income of an agricultural household in the state is Rs 5,112.
Deputy CM Singh Deo who is also Agriculture Minister provided this information in response to a question posed by Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati.
Tara Bahinipati had asked Singhdeo, to disclose the annual income per head of agricultural households in Odisha.
Bahinipati's query also sought details on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) offered by the state government per quintal of paddy, as well as the cost incurred by farmers to produce one quintal of paddy.
Additionally, Congress MLA requested information on the cost of paddy production in both irrigated and non-irrigated land.
In his response, Deputy CM Singhdeo stated that for the 2024-25 year, the MSP for common paddy has been set at Rs 2,300 per quintal. He added that the state government is offering additional support to farmers, bringing the total support to Rs 3,100 per quintal.
According to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), the production cost of paddy in Odisha is Rs 2,067 per quintal.
Around 65 percent of the population in Odisha is dependent on agriculture and deprived of government facilities, according to opposition
