DBT scheme for pesticide subsidy gets poor response in Himachal Pradesh

Subhash Rajta

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Shimla, February 16

The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for providing subsidy on the purchase of pesticides to fruit growers has received a poor response. Only a handful of fruit growers have completed the required formalities to claim the subsidy. “The response has been poor. Not many growers have come forward to claim the subsidy amount in Shimla district where the consumption of pesticides is the highest because of high apple production,” says Desh Raj Sharma, Deputy Director, Shimla. The response in other districts, too, has been lukewarm.

Till last year, when the scheme was introduced, the growers used to get subsidised pesticides from around 350 horticulture outlets in the state. The Horticulture Department used to purchase pesticides worth Rs around Rs 18 crore to Rs 20 crore from the market and sell it to the growers on subsidised rates. Under the DBT scheme, a grower can claim a subsidy of Rs 4,000 per hectare for temperate fruits such as apple and pear, and Rs 2,000 per hectare for sub-tropical fruits such as mango, and guava. To avail of the subsidy, the growers have to buy the pesticides mentioned in the spray schedule of the Horticulture Department from the empanelled companies and then upload the bills along with the forms and revenue papers/Udyan card on the e-Udyan portal.

The scheme, however, has failed to catch the growers’ attention so far. Even in a big horticulture block like Theog, the department has received just eight to 10 claims so far. “Maybe people are not aware of the scheme or they are hesitating because of the formalities involved,” says Suneel Sharma, HDO, Theog.

For the growers, the biggest drawback in the scheme is the meagre amount they will receive. “The scheme offers Rs 4,000 as subsidy for one acre, which means 12.5 bighas. The amount will be a little over Rs 300 per bigha, and the majority of the growers have a landholding of about three or four bighas. So, after completing the formalities and the running around, a grower will get Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500 in a year. Who will be interested in such a scheme,” says Sanjeev Thakur, an orchardist in Rohru.