Guwahati: Agriculture minister Pijush Hazarika on Sunday warned seed and fertiliser suppliers of criminal action and license cancellation over delay in supply.The minister, during a review meeting of the agriculture department on Sunday in Guwahati, emphasised that seed and fertiliser distribution must be transparent, ordering that high-quality seeds must reach farmers at least one month before the sowing season.Warning that delays or inefficiencies would not be tolerated, the minister instructed the agriculture department to explore legal avenues for criminal proceedings, blacklisting, and license cancellation against agencies supplying substandard products or engaging in the black-marketing of fertilisers.The minister also issued a mandate to elevate farmer registration to an absolute priority. He noted that while nearly 50 lakh families in Assam depend on agriculture, only 24 lakh are currently registered.To bridge this gap, the minister said the department will launch a special drive to register an additional 5 to 7 lakh farmers within the next six months, focusing on transforming subsistence farming into a wealth-generating sector for the state’s poorest families.To maximize grassroots welfare, the minister directed officials to aggressively scale up enrollment under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and accelerate PM-KISAN registration by expediting ID creation.Shifting the focus to economic self-reliance, Hazarika stated that Assam must diversify beyond traditional rice cultivation. Highlighting that substantial capital currently leaves the state to procure palm oil and pulses, he declared horticulture, pulses, and oil palm production as top departmental priorities.“This push will be paired with immediate discussions on market development to secure fair pricing for agricultural products,” he added, while directing the agricultural development officers to conduct regular field visits and actively support farmer producer organisations.The minister further said that the “accountability and a disciplined work culture are non-negotiable, explicitly forbidding officers from leaving their stations without prior approval.”The department will soon host ceremonial distributions of quality seeds, saplings, and power tillers to progressive farmers.
