Lok Sabha Question No. 5797 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-03
Subject: Promotion of Agri-Business
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: MEENAKASHI LEKHI

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5797

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 3 RD   APRIL, 2018

## PROMOTION OF AGRI-BUSINESS

## 5797.  SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI:

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

- (a) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to promote agri-business and incubation facilities in rural areas; and
- (b) the schemes  that  have  been  launched  to  encourage  farmers  to  adopt  income supplementing activities in the rural areas?

## ANSWER

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

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

- (a) & (b): In order to promote agri-business and incubation facilities in the country including rural areas, the Government of India has released a new model 'The Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2017' on 24th April, 2017 for its adoption by States/UTs.  The  provisions  therein  provides  for  alternative  marketing  channels  to  facilitate farmers  in marketing  their produce  at competitive &  remunerative  prices. Further, the Government is formulating a progressive, holistic and facilitative model Contract Farming Act, which is in the final stage of its drafting.  Under the draft model Act, provisions have been made inter-alia  for  integrating  food  processors  with  farmers  with  an  aim  to  ensure  better  price realisation to the  farmers  for  their  produce  besides  reducing  post-harvest  losses,  and incentivising the private sector processors to invest in processing activities.

The Government through, Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI), A Scheme for Promoting Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE) and Coir Udyami Yojana (CUY) is promoting agri-business and incumbation facilities in rural areas.

Under  the  Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana-National  Rural  Livelihoods  Mission  (DAYNRLM),  small  and  marginal  women  farmers  are  organized  into  producers'  collectives  for agriculture and dairy related businesses. This enables them to benefit from collective action and the economies of scale.

Under  Mahila  Kisan  Sashkatikaran  Pariyojana,  a  sub-component  of  DAY-NRLM,  and also through other livelihoods interventions  under  the  programme  women  farmers  are encouraged to diversify their livelihoods by taking up livestock and non-timber forest produce based activities and small non-farm enterprises, wherever such opportunities are available. In addition,  Start-up  Village  Entrepreneurship  Programme  (SVEP)  is  being  implemented  as another sub-component of DAY-NRLM with the objective of helping rural poor to come out of poverty by helping them set-up sustainable enterprises.

Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  Sampada  Yojana  (PMKSY)  is  a  big  step  of  the  Government towards doubling farmers income, providing better prices to farmers, creating huge employment opportunities especially in the rural areas.

Venture  Capital  Assistance  is  also  provided  by  the  Government  for  setting  up  of agribusiness projects and thereby providing assured market to producers for increasing rural income & employment.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), through its network of 690 Krishi Vigyan Kendras  (KVKs)  in  the  country,  is  organizing    demonstrations,  training  programs  and  skill development programs for the benefit of farmers and farm women, rural youth and in-service extension  personnel.  The  new  technologies  generated  by  ICAR  Institutes  and  Agricultural Universities  are  shared  by  KVKs  to  farmers  through  line  departments  of  Agriculture  in  the states.

Further, ICAR, through 'Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture' (ARYA) programme,  is  attracting  and  empowering  the  youth  in  rural  areas  to  take  up  various Agriculture, allied and service sector enterprises for sustainable income and gainful employment in selected districts.

********