Lok Sabha Question No. 261 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-05
Subject: Categorisation of Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 261

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 5 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019

## CATEGORISATION OF FARMERS

261.   SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO: SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK: DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT: SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE: 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  categorised  the  farmers  into  small,  marginal,  Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) farmers and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  average  size  of  agricultural  land  holdings  in  the  country  is  small  and marginal and un-remunerative to the farmers, if so, the details thereof, State-wise along with the steps taken to improve the productivity of such pieces of land in the country;
- (c) whether as per India Rural Development Report, the income from the farming sector is insufficient for 85 per cent farmers households in the country;
- (d) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto; and
- (e) the details of the steps/welfare measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to improve the condition of small and marginal farmers and to make the agriculture a profitable profession to arrest shifting of farmers to other professions?

## 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) & (b): In agriculture Census, the operational holdings are categorised in five size classes as follows:-

|   Sl. No. | Category     | Size-Class              |
|-----------|--------------|-------------------------|
|         1 | Marginal     | Below 1.00 hectare      |
|         2 | Small        | 1.00-2.00 hectare       |
|         3 | Semi- Medium | 2.00-4.00 hectare       |
|         4 | Medium       | 4.00-10.00 hectare      |
|         5 | Large        | 10.00 hectare and above |

Continue…2/-

The  operational  holdings  are  also  classified  in  three  social  groups,  viz.,  Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Others.

As  per  the  results  (provisional)  of  latest  Agriculture  Census  2015-16,  the  State-wise average size of operational holdings in the country is given at Annexure.

To  improve  production/productivity  of  various  agricultural  crops,  the  Government  is promoting adoption of modern technologies and practices like multiple cropping, intercropping and integrated farming systems etc.

(c) to (e): In  the  'India  Rural  Development  Report  2012-13'  prepared  by  the  IDFC  Rural Development Network, it has been observed that Small farms are more efficient, especially in cultivating  labour-intensive  crops  or  tending  livestock,  but  land  holdings  are  too  small  to generate sufficient household income.

With a view to improve the condition of Small  and Marginal farmers and to double the income of farmers by 2022, Government is realigning its interventions from production-centric approach  to  farmers'  income-centric  initiatives,  with  focus  on  better  and  new  technological solutions. These include implementation of schemes like, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Soil Health Card, Neem Coated Urea, Rainfed  Area  Development  under  National  Mission  for  Sustainable  Agriculture  (NMSA), Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana  (PMFBY),  National  Agriculture  Market  scheme  (e-NAM), National  Food  Security  Mission  (NFSM),  National  Mission  on  Oilseeds  &  Oilpalm  (NMOOP), Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture  (MIDH),  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana (RKVY),  National  Mission  on  Agriculture  Extension  &  Technology  (NMAET)  etc.  In  addition, farmers  are  provided  information  through  Focused  Publicity  Campaigns,  Kisan  Call  Centres (KCCs),  Agri-Clinics  and  Agri-Business  Centres  (ACABC)  of  entrepreneurs,  Agri  Fairs  and exhibitions, Kisan SMS Portal etc.

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