Odisha Stands 2nd From Bottom In Farmers’ Income In Country

Bhubaneswar: Odisha stands second from bottom in farmers’ income in the country, according to the survey conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO) in 2019.

According to the NSO report, the monthly income of each farmer’s family in Odisha is Rs 5,112 against Rs 4,895 of Jharkhand which is lowest among all states and Union Territories in the country.

While Meghalaya tops the list with its each farmer earning Rs 29,348 per month, Punjab stands second with Rs 26,701 and Haryana third with Rs 22,841, the survey found.

The NSO carried out its 77th round of survey on situation assessment of agricultural households and land and livestock holdings of households in the rural areas of the country with an integrated schedule of enquiry from January, 2019 to December, 2019.

A comparative analysis of NSO’s 70th survey in 2012-13 and 2018-19 survey revealed that at least two states, which were behind Odisha, marched ahead of it during the period.

As per 2012-13 survey report, the income of each farmer’s family in Odisha was Rs 4,976 per month followed by Jharkhand with Rs 4,721, Bengal Rs 3,980 and Bihar Rs 3,558. But as per 2018-19 report, each farm family’s income in Bihar went up to Rs 7,542, in Bengal Rs 6,762, and in Jharkhand Rs 4,895.

Odisha Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Arun Kumar Sahoo had quoted the NSO report in his reply to the unstarred question of MLA Mohan Charan Majhi in the Assembly on March 30, 2022.