Bihar flood-hit farmers in nine districts have been asked to apply online by October 25 for agricultural input subsidy linked to crop damage reported during floods in the last week of September, with assistance available for up to two hectares of land.
Agriculture minister Vijay Kumar Sinha issued the appeal on Friday, saying crop damage had been reported in 289 panchayats across 43 blocks in the affected districts. The subsidy is intended to help farmers resume cultivation during the upcoming rabi season.
Both landowners and non-landowners can apply for the benefit, according to the agriculture department. Applicants must submit a current land possession certificate or one issued during any of the previous three financial years, in addition to filing their applications through the department’s online portal.
The agricultural input subsidy covers crop damage on three categories of land: non-irrigated land, irrigated land and land under multi-year crops such as sugarcane. The maximum eligible area is capped at two hectares for each applicant.
For non-irrigated land, the maximum subsidy has been fixed at Rs 8,500 per hectare. The maximum assistance for irrigated land is Rs 17,000 per hectare, while multi-year crop land is eligible for up to Rs 22,500 per hectare.
The government has also specified minimum subsidy amounts for the three land categories. These are Rs 1,000 for non-irrigated land, Rs 2,000 for irrigated land and Rs 2,500 for multi-year crop land, according to the department’s communique.
The inclusion of non-landowning cultivators, subject to possession-certificate requirements, is significant for flood recovery because agricultural losses are not limited to registered landowners. The department’s eligibility conditions place documentation at the centre of the application process, making the October 25 deadline important for affected cultivators seeking support before the next sowing cycle.
The government has described the payment as compensation for crop damage and as assistance for farming activities during the coming rabi season. The department has not provided further details in the supplied report on the number of farmers expected to benefit, the total financial allocation or the timeline for disbursal after applications are submitted.
Sinha said the agricultural input subsidy was being provided to affected farmers to assist them in their farming activities during the coming rabi season. Applications remain open on the agriculture department’s portal until October 25.
