Lok Sabha Question No. 392 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-18
Subject: Scheme for Agricultural Profession
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: PANKAJ CHOWDHARY

O.I.H

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.392

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 18 TH  JULY, 2017

## SCHEME FOR AGRICULTURAL PROFESSION

392.   SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has formulated several schemes to turn Agriculture into a profit making profession to increase the income of the farmers;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has reviewed the schemes for increasing farmers income;
- (d) if so, the outcome thereof; and
- (e) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  extend  the  benefit  of  related  schemes  in agriculture in a better way?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI  PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

- (a) to (e):   During the last two years, the strategy of the Government is to focus on farmers' welfare by making farming viable.  Farm viability is possible, when cost of cultivation is reduced, yields per unit of farm are increased and farmers get remunerative prices on their produce.  The Government is realigning its interventions to move from production-centric to farmers' incomecentric  platform.  In  order  to  realise  net  positive  returns  for  the  farmer,  reducing  cost  of cultivation/  production  assumes  importance,  schemes  as  follows,  are  being  promoted  and implemented in a major way towards this:
- (i) Soil  Health  Card  (SHC)  scheme  by  which  the  farmers  can  know  the  major  and  minor nutrients available in their soils which will ensure judicious use of fertiliser application and thus save money of farmers. The balanced use of fertiliser will also enhance productivity and ensure higher returns to the farmers. The second cycle which began from 1st May 2017 is building on the learning of the first cycle so as to improve efficiency and make its use more acceptable by the  farmers.  As  on  27.6.2017,  253.54  lakh  soil  samples  have  been  collected,  243.91  lakh samples have been tested and a total of 870.17 lakh Soil Health Cards have been distributed to farmers.
- (ii) Neem Coated Urea (NCU) is being promoted to regulate use of urea, enhance availability of nitrogen to the crop and reduce cost of fertilizer application.  NCU slows down the release of fertilizer  and  makes  it  available  to  the  crop  in  an  effective  manner.  The  entire  quantity  of domestically  manufactured  and  imported urea  is now neem coated. The reports from field are Contd..2/-

positive. The expected saving is 10% of urea consumption, thereby resulting in reduced cost of cultivation and improved soil health management.

- (iii) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is being implemented with a view to promote organic farming in  the  country.    This  will  improve  soil  health  and  organic  matter  content  and increase net income of the farmer so as to realise premium prices. Under this scheme, an area of 5 lakh acre is targeted to be covered though 10,000 clusters of 50 acre each, from the year 2015-16 to 2017-18. So far 7208 clusters have been formed and remaining clusters would be formed during 2017-18.
- (iv) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)  was launched on 1st July, 2015 with the motto of 'Har Khet Ko Paani' for providing end-to-end solutions in irrigation supply chain, comprising  water  sources,  distribution  network  and  farm  level  applications.  PMKSY  not  only focuses  on  creating  sources  for  assured  irrigation,  but  also  creating  protective  irrigation  by harnessing rain water at micro level through 'Jal Sanchay' and 'Jal Sinchan'.  Micro irrigation is also incentivized through subsidy to ensure 'Per drop-More crop'.  PMKSY adopts State level planning and  projectised execution that allows States to  draw  up their own  irrigation development plans based on District Irrigation Plans and State Irrigation Plans.  The target for the year 2016-17 was 8 lakh ha. under micro irrigation against which 8.39 lakh ha. have been covered.
- (v) The  National  Agriculture  Market  scheme  (e-NAM)  was  launched  on  14.04.2016  in  8 States viz. Gujarat, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand covering 21 markets.  The Scheme envisages initiation of e-marketing platform at national level and will support creation of infrastructure to enable e-marketing in 585 regulated  markets  across  the  country  by  March  2018.  This  innovative  market  process  is revolutionizing  agri  markets  by  ensuring  better  price  discovery,  bringing  in  transparency  and competition to enable farmers to get improved remuneration for their produce moving towards 'One Nation One Market'.  455 markets in 13 States have been on boarded as on 30.6.2017.
- (vi) Government  has  introduced  Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana  (PMFBY)  from  Kharif 2016 to address the risks associated with agriculture.    PMFBY addresses all the shortcomings in the earlier schemes and is available to the farmers at very low rates of premium. The farmers will get full insurance cover as there is no capping of sum insured and consequently the claim amount is not cut or reduced. This scheme provides insurance cover at all stages of the crop cycle  including  post-harvest  risks  in  specified  instances.  It  has  been  targeted  to  increase  the area coverage to 30% by 2016-17, 40% by 2017-18 and 50% by the end of following year.  The first  year  target  has  been  achieved.  The  coverage  was  390.02  lakh farmers  and 386.75  lakh hectares area insured with a sum of Rs. 1,41,883.30 crore during Kharif 2016; and 172.94 lakh farmers and 196.29 lakh hectares area insured with a total sum of Rs. 69,851.37 crore during Rabi  2016-17.    The  year  also  brought  focus  on  covering  non-loanee  farmers  under  PMFBY along with loanee farmers, for whom the insurance cover is compulsory.  The number of nonloanee farmers covered in the year 2016-17 increased to 135 lakh, showing the popularity of the scheme.
- (vii)    The  Government  provides  interest  subvention  of  3%  on  short-term  crop  loans  up  to Rs.3.00 lakh.  Presently, loan is available to farmers at an interest rate of 7% per annum, which gets reduced to 4% on prompt repayment.  Further, under Interest Subvention Scheme 201617,  in  order  to  provide  relief  to  the  farmers  on  occurrence  of  natural  calamities,  the  interest subvention of 2% shall continue to be available to banks for the first year on the restructured amount. In order to discourage distress sale by farmers and to encourage them to store their produce   in  warehouses  against  negotiable  receipts, the benefit of interest subvention will be

available to small and marginal farmers having Kisan Credit Card for a further period of upto six months post harvest on the same rate as available to crop loan.

(viii)       In addition, the Government is implementing several Centrally Sponsored Schemes viz. National  Food  Security  Mission  (NFSM);  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture (MIDH); National Mission on  Oilseeds & Oilpalm (NMOOP); National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture  (NMSA);  National  Mission  on  Agricultural  Extension  &  Technology  (NMAET)  and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

(ix) MSP  is  notified  for  both  Kharif  &  Rabi  crops  based  on  the  recommendations  of  the Commission on Agriculture Costs & Prices (CACP). The Commission collects & analyses data on cost of cultivation and recommends MSP.  To incentivise cultivation of pulses and oilseeds in the country, Government has announced bonus for Kharif 2017-18, over & above the approved MSP.  Even during last year, Government had offered bonus over & above the MSP, in the case of pulses and oilseeds.

(x) Further the Government undertakes procurement of wheat and paddy under its 'MSP operations'.  In  addition,  Government  implements  Market  Intervention  Scheme  (MIS)  for procurement of agricultural and horticultural commodities not covered under the Minimum Price Support Scheme on the request of State/UT Government. The MIS is implemented in order to protect the growers of these commodities from making distress sale in the event of bumper crop when the prices tend to fall below the economic level/cost of production.

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