Lok Sabha Question No. 161 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-11
Subject: e-National Agriculture Market
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: ELUMALAI VELLAIGOUNDER

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.161

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  11 TH  DECEMBER, 2018

## e-NATIONAL AGRICULTURE MARKET

161.   SHRI V. ELUMALAI:

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 has taken several measures like electronic National Agriculture Market and soil testing labs in the last four and a half years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether it is also true that it is possible to increase farmers' income by focusing on allied farm activities like poultry and fishery; and
- (d) if so, the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## 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):  Yes Madam.  The Government has taken several measures in the last four and a  half  years  like National  Agriculture  Market  (e-NAM)  and  soil  testing  labs  which  are  as under:
- (i) The Government has implemented National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) scheme for  transparent  price  discovery  for  remunerative  prices  for  the  farmers  for  their produce  through  competitive  online  bidding  system.  So  far,  585  wholesale regulated  markets  of  16  States  and  02  UTs  have  been  integrated  with  e-NAM platform.
- (ii) 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 inputs  and  improve  soil  fertility  reduce  cost  of.  Total  10825  soil testing labs have been sanctioned to the states/implementing agencies.

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- (iii)        In  order  to  provide  better  marketing  facilities  to  the  farmers,  the  Government  has released a new model 'The Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion &  Facilitation)  Act,  2017'  in  April  2017  for  its  adoption  by  States/Union  Territories (UTs).  The  provisions  therein  provides  for  alternative  marketing  channels  such  as setting  up  of  private  markets,  direct  marketing,  farmer-consumer  markets,  special commodity markets, declaring warehouses/silos/cold storages or such structures as market  sub  yards  to  facilitate  farmers  in  marketing  their  produce  at  competitive  & remunerative prices.
- (iv)   In order to optimise the use of scarce resources and mitigate the uncertainty in price and  marketing,  the  Government  has  formulated  and  released  a  progressive  and facilitative  Model  Act  'The  ----State/  UT  Agricultural  Produce  &  Livestock  Contract Farming  and  Services  (Promotion  &  Facilitation)  Act,  2018'  in  May,  2018  for  its adoption  by  the  states/Union  Territories  (UTs).  The  aforesaid  Model  Contract Farming Act covers the entire  value  and  supply  chain  from  pre-production  to  post harvest  marketing  including  services  contract  for  the  agricultural  produce  and livestock.
- (v)      As per Union Budget Announcement, 2018-19, Government has decided to develop and upgrade existing 22,000 rural haats into Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs). In  these  GrAMs,  physical  infrastructure  will  be  strengthened  using  Government Schemes  such  as  MGNREGA  (Mahatama  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment Guarantee Act).  These GrAMs are to be exempted from regulations of Agriculture Produce  Marketing  Committee  (APMCs)  and  linked  to  e-NAM  to  provide  farmers facility to make direct sale to consumers and bulk consumers.
- (vi) Neem  Coated  Urea  is  being  promoted  to  regulate  use of urea,  enhance  its availability to the crop and reduce cost of fertilizer application. The entire quantity of domestically manufactured and imported urea is now neem coated.
- (vii) 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.
- (viii) 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.
- (ix) Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is  available to the farmers at low rates of  premium. This scheme would provide insurance cover for all stages of the crop cycle including post-harvest risks in specified instances.
- (x) Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)  enable Governments to further implement the scheme in the State as per its requirement including for increasing production and productivity in the State.

- (xi)    Under  National  Food  Security  Mission  (NFSM),  a  Centrally  Sponsored  scheme, assistance is provided to farmers for distribution of Seeds  (HYVs/Hybrids), production of seeds (only in pulses), INM and IPM techniques, resource conservation technologies/tools/farm mechanization, efficient water application tools,  cropping  system  based  trainings  to  farmers  and  also  assistance  for  value addition.
- (xii)  National  Mission  on  Oilseeds  and  Oil  Palm  (NMOOP)  programme,  is  being implemented since 2014-15. The objective of NMOOP is to increase production and productivity of oilseeds for meeting the domestic requirement of vegetable oil. The various interventions of this mission are implemented through the State Department of Agriculture/Horticulture.
- (xiii)    Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, is being implemented w.e.f. 2014-15, for holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetable, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.

(c)  & (d): Yes  Madam.  It  is  true  that  it  is  possible  to  increase  farmers'  income  by focusing  on  allied  farm  activities  like  poultry  and  fishery.  Government  has  taken  multiple initiatives  in  allied  farm  activities  such  as  in  poultry  and  fisheries  etc.  to  increase  farmers' income.

For  development  of  Poultry  sector,  Government  has  initiated  different  programmes under National Livestock Mission (NLM) schemes like Rural Backyard Poultry Development (RBPD)  and  Innovative  Poultry  Productivity  Project  (IPPP)  programmes  to  encourage farmers to take up poultry activities in small scale to enhance income of farmers.  Besides Entrepreneurship  Development  and  Employment  generation  (EDEG),  it  also  aims  to encourage entrepreneurship in various poultry activities.

For development of Fisheries, the Government has prepared an Integrated National Action Plan (INAP) on development of fisheries focusing mainly on optimal and sustainable utilization  of  various  fisheries  /  water  resources  such  as  ponds,  tanks,  wetlands  lakes  and others.    Also  promotion  of  mariculture  has  been  focused  under  INAP.    Further  to  provide infrastructural  needs  in  the  sector,  proposal  for  setting  up  of  Fisheries  and  Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FAIDF) with a total outlay of Rs.7522.48 crore has been approved and the guidelines circulated to States/UTs and other Stake holders for implementation.  For development of Dairying activities and making it more remunerative to the farmers, the Government is implementing schemes like Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), Dairy  Entrepreneurship  Development  Scheme  (DEDS),  National  Dairy  Plan-I  (NDP-I), National programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) and Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF).

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