Lok Sabha Question No. 149 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-11
Subject: Training of Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: R. VANAROJA, PR. SENTHILNATHAN, R.K. BHARATHI MOHAN, V. SATHYABAMA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 149

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11/12/2018

## TRAINING OF FARMERS

149. SHRIMATI VANAROJA R.: SHRI PR. SENTHIL NATHAN: SHRI BHARATHI MOHAN R.K.: SHRIMATI V. SATHYA BAMA:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has empowered any nodal agencies or like Krishi Vigyan Kendras to provide skill training to farmers to develop their farming techniques and for marketing of their produce;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the effective steps taken by the Government to facilitate Tamil Nadu to meet the demands of the farming sector to cope with its increasing troubles due to several cyclones and heavy rainfall on one hand and water scarcity and drought on the other hand; and
- (d) the amount allocated for the same during each of the last four years?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f'k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=ky; esa jkT; ea=h

(SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) & (b): Yes, Madam. A number of organizations of the Government are providing skill training to farmers. Details of such organizations are given below:-

-  Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)
-  Institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research
-  State and Central Agricultural Universities (SAUs/CAUs)
-  Agricultural Technology Management Agencies (ATMAs)
-  Institutes of Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare
-  Institutes of Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DADF)
-  Government of India Commodity Boards
-  State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institutes

-  Other Line Departments and Skill Training Missions of State Governments.
-  As  far  as  marketing  of  farmers  produce  is  concerned,  the  Government  has  launched National  Agriculture  Market  (eNAM)  which  is  a  pan-India  electronic  trading  portal which  networks  the  existing  APMC  mandis  to  create  a  unified  national  market  for agricultural  commodities.  Small  Farmers  Agribusiness  Consortium  (SFAC)  is  the  lead agency for implementing eNAM under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India.

(c) & (d): State  Government  is  empowered  to  undertake  necessary  relief  measures from State Disaster  Response Fund (SDRF), which is readily available with State. For calamity  of  severe  nature,  additional  financial  assistance,  over  and  above  SDRF,  is considered from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in accordance with items and norms  of  assistance,  upon  receipt  of  Memorandum  from  the  State  Government. Government  of  Tamil  Nadu  has  not  submitted  any  memorandum  seeking  financial assistance from NDRF during current year. However, during last four years, Government of Tamil Nadu has declared drought in 2016-17. In response, Government of India has approved Rs. 1728.48 crore from NDRF.

To address the increasing frequency of extreme events such as drought, floods and heavy rainfall, the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in four districts of Tamil Nadu namely Ramanathapuram, Tiruvarur, Villupuram and Namakkal are conducting demonstrations in farmers field on Climate Resilient practices and technologies.

These demonstrations comprise technology modules on Natural Recourse Management like village ponds, check dams, de-silting of drainage channels and efficient water  use  through  micro-irrigation  system;  crop  production  with  drought  and  flood tolerant and short duration varieties of paddy, black gram, green gram, red gram, ground nut,  sesame,  castor  and  fodder  crops;  live-stock  production  with  improved  breeds  of cattle, poultry, sheep and goat; and other best practices like seed hardening for drought tolerance,  green  manuring,  spray  of  Pink  Pigmented  Facultative  Methylotrops  (PPFM) during severe drought, broad bed furrow method of planting, tree planting on bunds and crop  mulching.  Besides,  farmers  are  facilitated  for  establishment  and  management  of seed bank, fodder bank, custom hiring centres through capacity building and institutionalizing  of  village  level  climate  risk  management  committees  of  farmers.  For this purpose, an amount of Rs. 1.68 crores were allocated during the last four years. The year-wise allocation of funds is given below:-

| Year    |   Fund Allocated (Rs. In lakh) |
|---------|--------------------------------|
| 2014-15 |                          45    |
| 2015-16 |                          44    |
| 2016-17 |                          48.26 |
| 2017-18 |                          30.74 |
| Total   |                         168    |

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