Farmers Training Institute Scheme, Meghalaya
Meghalaya state government scheme
Meghalaya's Farmers Training Institute Scheme trains bona fide farmers at the village level on updated agricultural technology and sponsors exposure visits to agriculturally advanced states. Applications go on plain paper to the District Training Officers at Tura and Shillong or the District Agriculture Officer, Jowai, and selection is first come first served subject to funds.
What is the Farmers Training Institute Scheme in Meghalaya?
The Farmers Training Institute Scheme is a state plan scheme of the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department, Government of Meghalaya, delivered through the Directorate of Research, Training and Technology Induction. According to the department's Farmers Friendly Schemes booklet, the Farmers Institute "provides training to farmers at the village level on update and innovation agriculture technology" and "facilitates exposure visit for farmers to agriculturally advanced states".
The department's separate FAQ on agriculture schemes expands the same description: the scheme provides training and demonstration to farmers at the village level, motivates farmers to adopt modern technologies in the field of agriculture, and facilitates exposure visits for farmers both within and outside the state. The entitlement is recorded as assistance in training and capacity building, and sponsoring of progressive or award-winning farmers for exposure trips within and outside the state.
The scheme is a services benefit, not a cash benefit. Nothing is transferred to a bank account. What a farmer gets is a place on a course, a demonstration on the ground, or a seat on a sponsored field tour.
The three things the scheme delivers
- Specialised training at the centre and in the farmer's own field. The booklet is specific that farmers are imparted specialised training "at the centre including in farmers field", the institute goes to the village, not only the other way round.
- Exposure programmes and field tours for farmer groups, conducted within Meghalaya.
- Sponsored exposure visits to agriculturally advanced states, aimed at progressive and award-winning farmers, so that a practice seen working elsewhere can be carried back into a Meghalaya block.
Meghalaya's training architecture is wider than this one scheme, and knowing the difference saves a wasted application. The citizen charter lists the department's extension and training services as Farmer Field Schools and Farmer Farm Schools, 1, 3 and 5 day trainings including specialised training, short-term courses of 3 months and 5 months, and a 1-year Basic Agriculture course (BATC). The long courses belong to the Basic Agriculture Training Centre and Integrated Agriculture Training Centre schemes, which target rural educated unemployed youth. The Farmers Training Institute Scheme is the one aimed at working farmers.
Who is eligible for farmer training in Meghalaya?
You can be selected if:
- You are a bona fide farmer engaged in agriculture. That single line is the whole published eligibility criterion for this scheme in both the department's booklet and its FAQ.
- You apply to the correct office and apply early in the financial year, because selection is first come first serve subject to availability of fund.
- For out-of-state exposure trips, you are a progressive or award-winning farmer. The FAQ restricts sponsorship for exposure trips to that group. The department separately notes that all farmers may apply to attend fairs, expos and exhibitions within the state, again subject to funds and first come first served.
You cannot apply, or will not be selected, if:
- You are not engaged in agriculture. A general interest in farming is not eligibility.
- You are seeking a long vocational or diploma course, the one-year Basic Agriculture course and the 3-month and 5-month courses run under separate schemes with their own conditions, and an application under this scheme will not get you a seat on them.
- You are seeking an out-of-state trip without progressive or award-winning status, since sponsorship for those trips is restricted.
- You are outside Meghalaya, as the scheme is delivered through the state's own district training and block network.
- You apply after the year's training funds are committed. This is not an eligibility bar in principle, but in practice it is the most common reason a qualified farmer is not accommodated, because the stated selection rule is first come first serve subject to availability of fund.
No income ceiling, age limit, education requirement or category condition has been notified for this scheme.
What documents are required?
| Document | Mandatory | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plain-paper application | Yes | To the District Training Officer, Tura or Shillong, or the DAO, Jowai |
| Bona fide farmer proof | Yes | Headman, Nokma or Sordar certificate |
| Details of your farming and training need | Yes | Lets the Training Officer place you on the right course |
| Photo identity such as Aadhaar | No | Usually asked at enrolment and for travel |
| Award or progressive-farmer evidence | No | Only for out-of-state exposure trips |
How to apply for the Farmers Training Institute Scheme
- Decide what you want, a village-level training on a specific crop or technique, a place on a field tour inside Meghalaya, or sponsorship for an exposure visit outside the state. The three are handled differently and the application should say which one you are asking for.
- Write the application on plain paper. The citizen charter permits plain paper where no prescribed form is available; prescribed forms are downloadable from megagriculture.gov.in. State your name, village, block, the crops you grow, your area under cultivation, and the training subject you need.
- Submit it to the right office. The department's FAQ names these for this scheme: the District Training Officer, Tura, the District Training Officer, Shillong, and the District Agriculture Officer, Jowai. The citizen charter locates District Training Officers at Upper Shillong, Tura and Jowai.
- Route it through your Agriculture Development Officer if that is easier. The ADO of your CD Block — there are 39 blocks, or of your Agriculture Circle, of which there are 16, is the department's standard first point of contact and will forward the application.
- Apply early in the financial year, because selection is first come first serve subject to funds, and a course that is full is full.
- Attend on the date given and collect any certificate or training material issued. For exposure trips, confirm what the sponsorship covers before you travel.
Contact points keep office hours of 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM in summer and 10.00 AM to 4.30 PM in winter, as published in the citizen charter.
How to check the status of your training application
There is no online tracker for this scheme. Check status in this order:
- Ask the District Training Officer (Tura, Shillong or Jowai) whether your name has been placed on a course list and for which batch.
- If you routed the application through the Block, ask the Agriculture Development Officer whether it has been forwarded.
- Escalate to the District Agriculture Officer of your district if nothing moves.
- For general information on schemes and training material, contact the Agriculture Information Officer, Cleve Colony, Shillong, on (0364) 2229127, or call the Kisan Call Centre on 1800-180-1551 free between 6.00 AM and 10.00 PM daily.
The department also runs an Agriculture Information Unit scheme for free distribution of information and publication materials, which is the right route if what you actually need is a package of practices or a crop calendar rather than a training seat.
Why training applications are turned down
- Funds for the year exhausted. The department states selection is subject to availability of fund, and this is the most frequent reason a valid application is not accommodated.
- Applied to the wrong scheme. Requests for the one-year Basic Agriculture course or the 3-month and 5-month courses belong to the training-centre schemes, not this one.
- Asked for an out-of-state trip without progressive or award-winning standing, which is the restriction the FAQ places on sponsored exposure visits.
- No proof of being a bona fide farmer, so the office cannot record eligibility.
- Training subject not offered in that district's calendar for the year: ask the Training Officer what is scheduled before fixing on a subject.
- Application filed with no contact details, so the batch call never reaches the farmer.
Grievance redressal
The Department of Agriculture's citizen charter sets out the route. A grievance may be submitted in writing to the concerned District Agricultural Officer during office hours, or directly to the Director of Agriculture at Cleve Colony, Government Fruit Garden, Shillong-793 003, on (0364) 2222460, email agri-meg@nic.in. Online grievances go to the state government's grievance portal at mii.nic.in.
No fee is charged to apply for training under this scheme, and no agent can secure a training place or an exposure trip for money. Sponsorship decisions rest with the District Training Officer and the district agriculture office.
Documents required
Frequently asked questions
What does the Farmers Training Institute Scheme in Meghalaya offer?
Training and demonstration for farmers at the village level, plus exposure visits. The department's FAQ describes the scheme as providing training and demonstration to farmers at village level, motivating them to adopt modern technologies in agriculture, and facilitating exposure visits within and outside the state, including to agriculturally advanced states.
Does a farmer have to pay for training under this scheme?
No fee is published for the training. The entitlement is recorded as assistance in training and capacity building and sponsoring of progressive or award-winning farmers for exposure trips, which means the department bears the cost of the sponsored places it offers.
Where do I apply for farmer training in Meghalaya?
To the District Training Officers at Tura and Shillong, or the District Agriculture Officer, Jowai. The department's FAQ names exactly these offices for training and exposure visits under this scheme, and the citizen charter adds a District Training Officer at Upper Shillong.
Who cannot get an exposure trip outside Meghalaya?
Farmers who are not progressive or award-winning are generally not eligible for out-of-state trips. The department's FAQ restricts sponsorship for exposure trips within and outside the state to progressive and award-winning farmers, although training at the institute and in the field is open to bona fide farmers generally.
How are farmers selected for the training?
On a first come first serve basis, subject to availability of fund. That is the department's own stated mode of selection for the Farmers Training Institute Scheme, which is why applying early in the financial year matters.
What other training schemes does the Meghalaya agriculture department run?
Several, and they are separate from this one. The Basic Agriculture Training Centre scheme runs a one-year course and short-term vocational training for rural educated unemployed youth, and the Integrated Agriculture Training Centre scheme runs skill training. The citizen charter also lists 1, 3 and 5 day trainings and 3-month and 5-month courses.
Is there any age or education requirement for farmer training?
None has been notified. The published eligibility is simply bona fide farmers engaged in agriculture. The education-linked conditions belong to the department's separate Basic Agriculture Training Centre scheme for rural educated unemployed youth.
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