Lok Sabha Question No. 3158 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-21
Subject: Budget for Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: RAJU ALIAS DEVAPPA ANNA SHETTI, KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE, REKHA ARUN VERMA, ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT

O.I.H

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3158

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 21 ST   MARCH, 2017

## BUDGET FOR AGRICULTURE

3158.      SHRI RAJU SHETTY: SHRI KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE: SHRIMATI REKHA VERMA: SHRI ARVIND SAWANT:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to prepare independent budget for agriculture and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to give impetus to growth rate of agriculture sector and accord status of  industry  to  agriculture  to  attract  investment  in  this  sector  and  if  so,  the details thereof and the steps taken/being taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (c) the details of funds invested/ released for this purpose during the said period along with the achievements made thereunder?

## 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): No,  Madam.
- (b) & (c): Agriculture, including agricultural indebtedness, being a State subject, the State Governments take appropriate measures for development of agriculture in the State. However, Government of India supplements the efforts of States through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support.

The  agriculture  sector  is  estimated  to  grow  at  a  rate  of  4.1  percent  in  2016-17. Government interventions for increasing growth rate of agriculture and increase investments are as follows:-

- (i)  In a move that aims to address the perennial irrigation water crisis affecting rural India, a Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) was instituted in NABARD as part of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).  The fund with an initial corpus of about Rs.20,000 crore is to be augmented by 100% during 2017-18, taking the corpus size to Rs.40,000 crore.

- (ii)    The  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchai  Yojana (PMKSY) is  being implemented  to expand cultivated area with assured irrigation, reduce wastage of water and improve water use efficiency.
- (iii)    The  Government  provides  interest  subvention  of  3%  on  short-term  crop  loans  up  to Rs.3.00 lakh.  As announced in the Budget, the target for agriculture credit for the year 2017-18 has been fixed at Rs.10.00 lakh crore.
- (iv)     Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY scheme  is being implemented from Kharif 2016  season.  This  scheme  would  provide  insurance  cover  for  all  stages  of  the  crop cycle including post-harvest risks, in specified instances.  Coverage of PMFBY will be increased from 30% of cropped area in 2016-17 to 40% in 2017-18 and 50% in 2018-19 for which a budgetary provision of Rs.9000 crore has been made for 2017-18.
- (v)   National Agriculture Market scheme (e-NAM 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.
- (vi)    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.
- (vii)  Neem Coated Urea is being promoted to regulate urea use, enhance its availability to the  crop  and  reduce  cost  of  fertilizer  application.  The  entire  quantity  of  domestically manufactured urea is now neem coated.
- (viii) 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 realize premium prices.

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).

The constant rise in budget outlay for 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, as given below, shows the commitment of Government of India to give impetus to growth of agriculture sector:

| Financial Year   | Outlay (Rs. in crore)                     |
|------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| 2015-16          | Rs.16,646.35 (BE) Plan                    |
| 2016-17          | Rs.20,400.00 (BE) Plan                    |
| 2017-18          | Rs.41,855.00 (BE) (Including non-schemes) |

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