Lok Sabha Question No. 141 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-02
Subject: Doubling of Farmers’ Income
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Raghu Ramakrishna Raju Kanumuru, Annasaheb Shankar Jolle

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

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 141

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE   2 ND  JULY, 2019

## DOUBLING OF FARMERS' INCOME

- *141.     SHRI KANUMURU RAGHU RAMA KRISHANA RAJU: SHRI ANNASAHEB SHANKAR JOLLE:

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

- (a) whether it  is  a  fact  that  the  Government  is  examining  various  ways  to  double  the farmers' income by 2022 and if so, whether the Government has set up a panel to evolve the ways and strategy to double the farmers' income by 2022;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Panel has submitted its Report to the Government, if so, the details and the outcome thereof;
- (d) the details of the recommendations made by the Panel in this regard; and
- (e) whether the Government is considering to implement the recommendations of the panel and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी

(SHRI NARENDRA  SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 141 DUE FOR REPLY ON 2 ND  JULY, 2019.

(a) & (b): Yes Sir. The Government had constituted an Inter-ministerial Committee in April, 2016 to examine issues relating to 'Doubling of Farmers Income' and recommend strategies to achieve the same.

(c) & (d): The  Committee  has  submitted  its  Report  to  the  Government  in  September, 2018.  The Committee on Doubling Farmers' Income (DFI) recognises agriculture as a value led  enterprise  and  suggests  empowering  farmers  with  'improved  market  linkages'  and enabling  'self-sustainable  models'  as  the  basis  for  continued  productivity-production  and income growth for farmers. This builds the basic strategy direction for five primary concerns: optimal monetisation of farmers' produce, sustainability of production, improved resource use efficiency, re-strengthening of extension and knowledge based services and risk management. The Committee recommended reorienting the agriculture sector by focusing on an income-centeredness which goes beyond achieving merely the targeted production and focused  on seven  major  sources  of growth, viz., improvement  in  crop productivity; improvement  in  livestock  productivity;  resource  use  efficiency  or  savings  in  the  cost  of production;  increase  in  the  cropping  intensity;  diversification  towards  high  value  crops; improvement in real prices received by farmers; and shift from farm to non-farm occupations.

Various  recommendations  inter-alia  viz., for  Agricultural  Market  Reforms,  Price Support  System  to  farmers,  reducing  input  cost  for  farming,  health  of  the  soil,  Irrigation management, risk management with respect to crop loss, Improvement in institutional credit system,  Drought  Management  and  secondary  Agriculture  alongwith  Governance  and structural reforms have been made by the DFI Committee.

The  Government  has  constituted  an  Empowered  Body  for  implementation  and monitoring of the recommendations of the DFI Committee.

- (e): Various initiatives already been rolled out are placed at Annexure.

## Annexure Lok   Sabha   Starred   Question   No. 141  regarding Doubling of Farmers' Income

## Various initiatives already been rolled out.

- (i) Initiating market reforms through the State Governments.
- (ii) Encouraging contract farming through the State Governments by promulgating of Model Contract Farming Act.
- (iii) Launch  of  e-NAM  initiative  to  provide  farmers  an  electronic  online  trading platform.
- (iv)      Implementation of flagship scheme of distribution of Soil Health Cards to farmers so that the use of fertilizers can be optimized.
- (v) 'Per  drop  more  crop'  initiative  under  which  drip/sprinkler  irrigation  is  being encouraged for optimal utilization of water.
- (vi) 'Paramparagat  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (PKVY)'  under  which  organic  farming  is being promoted.
- (vii)      Under 'Har Medh  Par  Ped',  agro forestry is being promoted.  With the amendment  of  Indian  Forest  Act,  1927,  Bamboo  has  been  removed  from  the definition of trees. A restructured National Bamboo Mission has been launched in the year 2018 to promote bamboo plantation on non forest government as well as private land with emphasis on value addition and product development.
- (viii) Giving a major boost for the farmers income, the Government has approved the increase  in  the  Minimum  Support  Price  (MSPs)  for  all  Kharif  &  Rabi  crops  for 2018-19 season at a level of at least 150 percent of the cost of production.
- (ix) Giving a major boost to the pro-farmer initiatives, the Government has approved a  new  Umbrella  Scheme  'Pradhan  Mantri Annadata Aay  Sanrakshan  Abhiyan (PM-AASHA)'.  The  Scheme  is  aimed at  ensuring  remunerative  prices  to  the farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018. This is an

unprecedented step taken by Govt. of India to protect the farmers' income which is expected to go a long way towards the welfare of farmers.

- (x) Bee keeping has been promoted under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) to increase the productivity of crops through pollination and increase the honey production as an additional source of income of farmers.
- (xi) Rashtriya Gokul Mission to enhance milk production and productivity of bovines and to make milk production more remunerative to the farmers.
- (xii) National Livestock Mission to increase productivity and genetic improvement of livestock.
- (xiii)    Foreseeing  high  potential  in  fisheries  sector,  a  Blue  Revolution  with  multi dimensional  activities  mainly  focusing  on  fisheries  production,  both  inland  and marine is being implemented.
- (xiv)    The Government has approved for giving the facility of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to the farmers practicing animal husbandry and fisheries related   activities and has also decided to extend the Interest Subvention Facilities to such categories of farmers.

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