PANAJI
With as many as 2,520 new Krishi cards being issued in the last eight months, the number of Krishi card holders has now reached 44,779 in the State.Krishi cards are beneficial to farmers to avail benefits of government schemes and other benefits given to farmers. It is also considered a valid identification for farmers.
Agriculture Director Nevil Alphonso said the number of Krishi cards issued rose after the 'Sarkar Tumchya Dari' programme launched by the government across the State.
“The agriculture department had conducted many presentations at its stalls during the 'Sarkar Tumchya Dari' programmes. During this programme, many farmers had inquired about application procedures for the Krishi card,” said Agriculture Director Nevil Alphonso.
“Till date, there are 44,779 registered Krishi card holders in the State.”
“In 2021-20, there were 42,259 Krishi card holders in the State. After farmers learnt about the benefits of the Krishi card, 2,520 more farmers became Krishi card holders, informed Alphonso.
Of the 12 agriculture zones in the State, Margao (6,427) and Bardez (6,335) have the highest number of Krishi card holders, followed by Pernem (5,712), Sattari (4,847 farmers), Canacona (3,650), Quepem (3,575),Bicholim (3,186), Sanguem (3,061), Dharbandora (1,888), Tiswadi (1,775), Dharbandora (1,588) and Sanquelim (805).
Before the implementation of the Krishi card, farmers had to frequently submit documents about agriculture land, identification documents and other documents such as affidavits. This involved a waste of time, money and effort for farmers and agriculture department officials.
The agriculture department then started issuing Krishi cards to farmers in 2014, enabling them to identity farmers and entitle them to agriculture department schemes.
