Lok Sabha Question No. 499 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-25
Subject: Modernization of Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 499

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 25 TH  JUNE, 2019

## MODERNIZATION OF AGRICULTURE

## 499.     SHRIMATI RANJAN BEN DHANANJAY BHATT:

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

(a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  work  seriously  on  the  modernisation  of agricultural technology to double the income of farmers;

- (b) if so, whether the Government proposes to take any step in this direction;

(c) if  so,  the  time  period by  which this technology would be developed along with the details thereof; and

- (d) if not, the reasons therefor ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

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

(a) to (d): The Government has set a target of doubling of farmers' income by the year 2022. The Government has constituted an inter-Ministerial Committee to examine issues relating to doubling of farmers' income and recommend a strategy to achieve doubling of farmers' income in real terms by the year 2022. The committee has, inter-alia, appreciated the role of Digital Technology, which can play a transformational role in modernizing and organizing  how  rural  India  performs  it's  agricultural  activities.  The  technologies  include Artificial  Intelligence,  Big  Data  Analytics,  Block  chain  Technology,  Internet  of  Things  etc. The  deployment  of  technology  is  very  important  to  make  schemes  of  the  Ministry successful. Major technology interventions include:

- (i) Development  of  Kisan  Suvidha  mobile  application  to  facilitate  dissemination  of information to farmers on the critical parameters viz., Weather; Market Prices; Plant Protection;  input  Dealers  (Seed,  Pesticide,  Fertilizer)  Farm  Machinery;  Soil  Health Card;  Cold  Storages  &  Godowns,  Veterinary  Centres  and  Diagnostic  Labs.  With market  information,  farmers  are  better  informed  about  markets  to  sell  produce, prevailing market prices and quantity demanded in the market. Thus, they can make informed decisions to sell produce at the right price and right time.
- (ii) The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has also compiled more than 100 mobile apps developed by ICAR, State Agricultural Universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras and uploaded on its website. These mobile apps developed in the areas of crops, horticulture, veterinary, dairy, poultry, fisheries, natural resources management  and  integrated  subjects,  offer  valuable  information  to  the  farmers, including  package  of  practices,  market  prices  of  various  commodities,  weather related information, advisory services, etc.

- (iii) Development of mKishan Portal (www.mkisan.gov.in) for sending advisories on various crop related matter to the registered farmers through SMSs.
- (iv) Launching of e-National Agriculture Market initiative to provide farmers an electronic online trading platform.
- (v) Implementation  of  Per  Drop  More  Crop  component  of  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi Sinchayee  Yojana  which  mainly  focuses  on  water  use  efficiently  at  farm  level through  precision/micro  irrigation  technologies  viz.,  Drip  and  Sprinkler  irrigation. Micro irrigation technology not only help in water saving but also in reducing fertilizer usage, labour expenses, and other inputs costs besides sustaining soil health.
- (vi) Implementation  of  Agricultural  Marketing  Infrastructure,  sub-scheme  of  Integrated Scheme  of  Agricultural  Marketing,  in  order  to  improve/create  scientific  storage capacity  for  storing  farm  produce,  processed  farm  produce  and  to  reduce  postharvest storage loss.
- (vii) Introduction of Soil Health Card Scheme to assist State Governments in providing Soil Health Cards to all farmers across the country once in a cycle of 2 years Soil Health Card provides information to the farmers on nutrient status of their soil along with recommendations  on  appropriate  dosage  of  nutrients  to  be  applied  for improving crop productivity and soil fertility.
- (viii) Providing subsidies under National Food Security Mission (Oil Seeds and Oil Palm) to  farmers  on  seed  components,  transfer  of  technologies,  production  inputs  and water  carrying  devices.  Financial  assistance  is  also  being  provided  under  this scheme for block demonstration, frontline demonstration, farmers training to educate farmers to adopt modern techniques of farming to yield good crop economically.
- (ix)    Use  of  space  technology  for  various  programmes/areas  such  as  Forecasting Agricultural  Output  using  Space,  Agro-meteorology  and  Land-based  Observations project,  Coordinated  programme  on  Horticulture  Assessment  and  Management using geo-informatics project, National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring  System,  Rice-fallow  Area  Mapping  and  Intensification,  geo  tagging  of infrastructure  and  assets  created  under  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana,  and  Crop Insurance.
- (x) Using  machine  learning  process  alongwith  different  computer  algorithm  for  crop classification and area estimation.

The Government has also set up 713 Krishi Vigyan Kendras and 684 Agricultural Technology Management Agencies at district level for dissemination of technologies among farm community. In addition, farmers are provided information through Focused Publicity Campaigns, Kisan Call Centres, Agri-Clinics and Agri-Business Centres of entrepreneurs, Agri Fairs and exhibitions, Kisan SMS Portal, etc.

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