Lok Sabha Question No. 4843 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-23
Subject: Quitting of Agriculture by Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Gautam Gambhir

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

## LOK  SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4843 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 23 RD   JULY, 2019

## QUITTING OF AGRICULTURE BY FARMERS

4843.     SHRI GAUTAM GAMBHIR:

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

- (a) whether the Government has conducted a review to assess the number of farmers who have quit agriculture during each of the last three years in each State/UT;
- (b) if so, the details and the outcome thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (c) the main reasons identified in the review of quitting of agriculture by farmers;
- (d) whether the Government has suggested that the farmers shift to cash crop cultivation from traditional crops; and
- (e) if  so, the details thereof and the other deficiencies identified during the review along with the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to popularize agriculture and ensure that the farmers do not quit agriculture in the near future?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  to (c):      As per the Population Census conducted by the Registrar General of India, the total number of cultivators in the country has been decreased from  (127.3 million in 2001 to (118.8 million cultivators) in 2011. State/UT-wise details of number of cultivators per Census 2001 and 2011 is given in the Annexure.

Since the Population Census is conducted after every 10 years, the details of farmers who have shifted from agriculture to other occupations since 2011 are not known.

- (d): The  farmers  themselves  decide  the  acreage  to  put  under  cultivation  for  different cereal crops and/ or the cash crops, keeping in view the shift in consumption patterns and varying market conditions. Government is, however, promoting integrated farming with focus on horticulture, floriculture, bee-keeping, fisheries, agro-forestry, etc., to diversify the income base of agricultural households.

(e): With a view to make agriculture attractive and more remunerative, various schemes are being implemented by the Government. These include, inter alia , Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY); Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme; National Agriculture Market Scheme  (e-NAM);  Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana  (PMFBY);  National  Food  Security Mission (NFSM); Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA); Mission for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture  (MIDH);  and  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana (RKVY).  Besides,  Government  has  adopted  the  principle  of  fixing  Minimum  Support  Price (MSP) at  a  level  of  50  per  cent  over  the  all-India  weighted  average  cost  of  production  of crops.

Moreover, with a view to  provide  income  support  to  all farmers' families  across  the country,  the  Central  Government  has  started  a  new  Central  Sector  Scheme,  namely,  the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). The Scheme aims to provide a payment of Rs. 6000/- per year, in three installments of Rs. 2000/- each to the farmer families, subject to certain exclusions relating to higher income groups.

## Annexure in reference to Reply to Part (a) to (c) of the Unstarred Question No. 4843 due for reply on 23-07-2019

## Number of Agricultural Workers in India (in Million)

| S.No.   | State/ UT                       |   Cultivators | Cultivators   |
|---------|---------------------------------|---------------|---------------|
| S.No.   | State/ UT                       |       2001    | 2011          |
|         | ALL INDIA                       |        127.31 | 118.81        |
| 1       | JAMMU & KASHMIR                 |          1.59 | 1.25          |
| 2       | HIMACHAL PRADESH                |          1.95 | 2.06 1.93     |
| 3       | PUNJAB                          |          2.07 |               |
| 4       | CHANDIGARH                      |          0    | 0.00          |
| 5       | UTTARAKHAND                     |          1.57 | 1.58          |
| 6       | HARYANA                         |          3.02 | 2.48          |
| 7       | DELHI                           |          0.04 | 0.03          |
| 8       | RAJASTHAN                       |         13.14 | 13.62         |
| 9       | UTTAR PRADESH                   |         22.17 | 19.06         |
| 10      | BIHAR                           |          8.19 | 7.20          |
| 11      | SIKKIM                          |          0.13 | 0.12          |
| 12      | ARUNACHAL PRADESH               |          0.28 | 0.30          |
| 13      | NAGALAND                        |          0.55 | 0.54          |
| 14      | MANIPUR (Excl. 3 Sub-divisions) |          0.38 | 0.57          |
| 15      | MIZORAM                         |          0.26 | 0.23          |
| 16      | TRIPURA                         |          0.31 | 0.30          |
| 17      | MEGHALAYA                       |          0.47 | 0.49          |
| 18      | ASSAM                           |          3.73 | 4.06          |
| 19      | WEST BENGAL                     |          5.65 | 5.12          |
| 20      | JHARKHAND                       |          3.89 | 3.81          |
| 21      | ORISSA                          |          4.25 | 4.10          |
| 22      | CHHATTISGARH                    |          4.31 | 4.00          |
| 23      | MADHYA PRADESH                  |         11.04 | 9.84          |
| 24      | GUJARAT                         |          5.8  | 5.45          |
| 25      | DAMAN & DIU                     |          0    | 0.00          |
| 26      | DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI            |          0.04 | 0.03          |
| 27      | MAHARASHTRA                     |         11.81 | 12.57         |
| 28      | ANDHRA PRADESH                  |          7.86 | 6.49          |
| 29      | KARNATAKA                       |          6.88 | 6.58          |
| 30      | GOA                             |          0.05 | 0.03          |
| 31      | LAKSHADWEEP                     |          0    | 0.00          |
| 32.     | KERALA                          |          0.72 | 0.67          |
| 33.     | TAMIL NADU                      |          5.12 | 4.25          |
| 34.     | PUDUCHERRY                      |          0.01 | 0.01          |
| 35.     | ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS       |          0.02 | 0.02          |

Note:  The  Census  2001  figures  for  India  and  Manipur  exclude  that  of  Mao Param, Paomata and Purul sub-divisions of Senapati  district of Manipur

Source: Registrar General of India

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