Lok Sabha Question No. 1224 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-18
Subject: Education of Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: A.T. (NANA) PATIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1224

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 18 TH  DECEMBER, 2018

## EDUCATION OF FARMERS

1224.  SHRI A.T. NANA PATIL:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  formulated  any  scheme  to  provide  information  to  the farmers of the country particularly in Maharashtra on various topics such as diversity of crops to increase the income of the farmers;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the new steps taken by the Government to assist the farmers to take up new occupations related to agriculture such as dairy farming and poultry and to provide information in this regard to double the income of farmers by the year 2022?

## 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) & (b): Government of India supplement the efforts of the states to diversify agricultural/horticultural crops to increase the income of the farmers through various schemes/programmes  viz.  National  Food  Security  Mission  (NFSM),  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas Yojana (RKVY)/ Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)/ National  Mission for  Sustainable  Agriculture  (NMSA)/Rainfed  Area  Development  (RAD),  etc  in  the  country including Maharashtra.

- (c): In so far as Dairy farming is concerned, the Government has taken following steps:
-  The ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal has established a Business Planning  Development  (BPD)  Unit  to  promote  dairy  &  food  agribusiness  enterprise through  consultancy,  commercialization  of  dairy  &  food  technologies  and  capacity building programmes. The unit not only organizes training programmes on "Commercial Dairy Farming" required for young  budding entrepreneurs but also helps small entrepreneurs for setting up dairy farms, food & dairy processing units. The incubatees graduated from the BPD Unit are creating direct or indirect employment for unemployed youth;
-  A "Farmers' Farm School" at village level has also been initiated since 2014-15 wherein farmers of at present Haryana State are being trained and encouraged for adopting the scientific ways of dairy farming;
-  Holding animal shows at the farmers field and awarding the best animals;

-  Milk  competitions  for  identification  of  elite  dams  (female  buffaloes)  as  well  as  for increasing awareness amongst farmers for rearing high yielding animals;
-  Identification of best bulls/progenies of elite dams from the farmers field, collection and freezing of semen from identified bulls and its dissemination to the progressive farmers;
-  Training programmes on scientific buffalo husbandry practices. As such, since 2014, 84 trainings have been organized for more than 5400 farmers from different states.

As regards poultry farming, the following steps were  taken  to  mobilize farming community to take up new occupations in the area of poultry farming.

-  36 training programmes were conducted and 948 farmers/farm women and youth were trained in poultry production during last three years, out of which 25-30% stared poultry farming.  Around,  5.00  lakhs  improved  germplasm  of  different  poultry  species  (quail, Turkey, Chicken, Gunea fowl, etc.) have been supplied to the farmers/ entrepreneurs in different states of the country during the last three years. Under the FARMERS FIRST programme, 30 farmer families have been adopted in five villages of Bareilly district and 2500  improved  native  chickens  have  been  supplied  for  rearing  under  backyard  (low input) production system. Area specific low cost feed formulae are being provided to the interested  farmers.  Further,  mass  awareness  on  poultry  production  through  FARM SCHOOL  ON  AIR,  participation  in  regional  and  national  exhibitions,  workshops  and Kishan Goshthis is being done.
-  Particularly in the state of Maharashtra, around 1.2 lakhs improved chicken germplasm with egg production of around 150 eggs/per annum as compared to the native chicken with egg production of 50-70 eggs/per annum has been supplied to farmers and other stakeholders during the last five years.

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