Lok Sabha Question No. 306 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-05
Subject: Quitting of Agriculture by Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL, HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT, JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.306

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 5 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019

## QUITTING OF AGRICULTURE BY FARMERS

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE: SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK: SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO: DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT: DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN: SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

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 for 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 STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (c): No, Madam. However, as per the decennial Census conducted by the Registrar General  of  India,  the  total  number  of  agricultural  workers  in  the  country,  comprising  of cultivators and  agricultural labourers, have  increased  from  234.1  million (127.3 million cultivators  and  106.8  million  agricultural  labourers)  in  2001  to  263.1  million  (118.8  million cultivators and 144.3 million agricultural labourers) in 2011. State/UT-wise details of number of cultivators and agricultural labourers as per Census 2001 and 2011 is given in the Annexure.

- (d) & (e): The farmers themselves decide the acreage to put under cultivation for different cereal  crops  and/or  the  cash  crops  based  on  the  shift  in  consumption  patterns  and  market conditions.

Government  is  focusing  on  reorienting  the  agriculture  sector  by  shifting  towards  an income-centric  approach  which  goes  beyond  merely  achieving  the  targeted  production.  The major schemes being implemented by the Government to improve profitability of agriculture and Continue….2/-

allied  sector,  include  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchai  Yojana  (PMKSY),  Paramparagat  Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Soil Health Card, Neem Coated Urea, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), National Agriculture Market scheme (e-NAM), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Bamboo Mission, Blue Revolution, Rashtriya Gokul Mission, etc.

Government  is  also  promoting  integrated  farming  systems  to  supplement  agricultural households' income from traditional crops. Besides, Government has adopted the principle of fixing  Minimum  Support  Prices  (MSP)  at  a  level  of  50  per  cent  over  the  all-India  weighted average cost of production of crops.

All these measures taken by the Government are aimed at improving net returns to the farmers by enabling them to realize higher yields at lower cost and benefit from better market prices.

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