Demonetisation: Bengal government to help cash-less farmers in kind to harvest paddy

KOLKATA: In view of demonetisation drive of the central government, the West Bengal government has decided to provide instruments and technical assistance for harvesting to paddy growers of the state.

According to a source at the Agriculture department, the decision was taken today keeping in mind the problems farmers, mainly those cultivating paddy, were facing due to demonetisation.

"Seventy-five per cent of paddy, that is around 40 lakh hectare of paddy has been harvested already. But farmers are facing problems reaping the rest 10 lakh hectare of paddy because of the demonetisation. So, we have decided to assist them with instruments as well as technical assistance from agriculture assistance centre," he said.

Asked if the state government would consider helping the paddy cultivators with any financial assistance, he said, "Currently there is no such plan, but even if the farmers continue facing trouble because of demonetisation we will do a review on our future plan."