Lok Sabha Question No. 222 (STARRED), answered on 2021-12-14
Subject: National Agricultural Innovation Projects
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Y. S. Avinash Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 222 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14 TH  DECEMBER, 2021

## NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION PROJECTS

## *222 .  SHRI Y.S. AVINASH REDDY:

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 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the World Bank have been implementing a joint National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) in the country and if so, the details thereof including the objectives of setting up NAIP;

(b) the details of the World Bank assistance received and utilized till date for achieving NAIP objectives;

- (c) the  details  of  the  contribution  of  NAIP  for  betterment  of  farmers  by  providing innovative ideas;

(d) whether any assessment of NAIP has been carried out and if so, the outcome of the assessment and steps taken by the Government to ensure that NAIP works in such a way as  to  help  farmers  in  overcoming  their  difficulties  by  imparting  new  strategies  and innovative solutions; and

(e) the  other  steps  taken  by  the  Union  Government  to  facilitate  accelerated  and sustainable  transformation  of  agriculture  in  support  of  poverty  alleviation  and  income generation?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=h (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  to (e):    A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 222 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14 TH  DECEMBER, 2021 REGARDING 'NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION PROJECTS (NAIP)'

(a)  and (b): A National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) jointly funded by World Bank and Govt. of India with a project outlay of Rs.1302.62 Crore (Rs.1042.12 crore from World Bank)  was  implemented  by  the  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  during September  2006  and  June  2014.    Subsequently,  a  component  of  Sustainable  Rural Livelihood  Security  through  Land  and  Ecosystem  Management  funded  by  Global Environment Facility (GEF) of Rs.41.82 crore was added as an additional activity. A total amount of Rs 1344.32 crores was utilized which is almost 100%.

The overall objective of the NAIP was to facilitate an accelerated and sustainable transformation of the Indian Agriculture from self-sufficiency to market orientation, so that it could support poverty alleviation and  income generation through collaborative development  and  application  of  agricultural  innovation  by  the  public  organizations  in partnership  with  private  sector,  Non-Governmental  Organizations  (NGOs),  farmers' groups, and other stakeholders.

(c) Some of the major contributions of NAIP for betterment of the farmers were as below:

- (i) Integrated Farming System models for resource poor farmers in disadvantaged districts.
- (ii) Water shed based farming system modules.
- (iii) Pipeline networking for sustainable groundwater use.
- (iv) Gravity operated drip system.
- (v) Community  based  vermicompost  and  biogas  units,  gene  bank,  goat  bank, seed bank, fodder, mechanized milking practices, etc..
- (vi) River bed water melon cultivation.
- (vii) Facilitate revival of Kadaknath and Nirbheek breeds of poultry for rearing.
- (viii) Farmer producer companies, grower associations.
- (ix) Early warning system for fishermen through mobile Krishi.

(d) An  outcome  focused  independent  external  evaluation  of  NAIP  was  carried  out through M/s Price Water Cooper Ltd (PwC). The major outcomes of the project as per evaluation were as below:

- (i) NAIP  impacted  the  life  of  about  0.8  million  farmers  through  various interventions under the projects.
- (ii) About 46 percent of beneficiaries felt that interventions resulted in moderate

increase in employment and 89 percent of the overall sample beneficiaries stated that there was medium to high effect on increase in income.

- (iii) On an aggregate, the farmers in the selected villages had employment on farming  activities  for  only  167.4  days  in  a  year.  Post  project,  the  mean employment per household per year was 245.83 man-days, with an increase of 46.64%.
- (iv) Around 58 percent respondents were benefitted by institutional development activities like the formation of self-help group, farmers group, youth group, etc..
- (v) NAIP also addressed several areas of social development viz., employment generation, participation, inclusion, poverty reduction, gender empowerment or equity and human capacity development.
- (vi) 273 production and processing technologies were developed in the areas of agroforestry, horticultural crops, livestock rearing and fisheries.
- (vii) 643 research papers were published in high impact journals and 118 patents filed out of the research activities undertaken in the project.

(e) The Government has adopted several developmental programmes, schemes, reforms and policies that focus on higher incomes for the farmers. All these policies & programmes are supported by higher budgetary allocations, non-budgetary financial resources by way of creating  Corpus  Funds  like  Micro  Irrigation  Fund  etc.  A list of interventions is at Annexure-I .

Besides, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) through research in various areas such as development of high yielding varieties, climate resilient varieties, bio-fortified crops, integrated farming, high yielding animal breeds, etc. also supports farmers for their poverty alleviation and income generation.

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## List of various interventions and schemes launched for the benefit of farmers

(i) Pradhan Mantri  Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN): With  a  view  to  provide income   support to all farmers' families across the country, to enable them to take care of expenses   related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs, the Central  Government  started  a  new  Central  Sector  Scheme,  namely,  the  Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). The scheme aims to provide a payment of Rs.  6000/-  per  year,  in  three  4-monthly  instalments  of  Rs.  2000/-  to  the  farmers families, subject to certain exclusions relating to higher income groups. A total of Rs. 1.6 lakh crore has been released so far to more than 11.5 crore farmer families.

(ii) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY): Further with a view to provide social security net for Small and Marginal Farmers (SMF) as they have minimal or no savings to provide for old age and to support them in the event of consequent loss of    livelihood the  Government has decided to implement another new Central Sector Scheme i.e. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY) for providing old age pension    to these farmers. Under this Scheme, a minimum fixed pension of Rs. 3000/will be provided to the eligible small and marginal farmers, subject to certain exclusion clauses, on attaining the age of 60 years.

(iii) Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana  (PMFBY): With  a  view  to  provide  better insurance  coverage  to  crops  for  risk  mitigation,  a  crop  insurance  scheme  namely Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was launched from Kharif 2016 season. This scheme provides insurance cover for all stages of the crop cycle including postharvest risks in specified instances, with low premium contribution by farmers. During this period nearly    Rs.21450 crores were paid by farmers as their share of premium against which claims of over Rs.101875 crore (Provisional) have been paid to them. Thus, for every 100 rupees of premium paid by farmers, they have received Rs. 475 as claims.

(iv) Minimum Support Price (MSPs): Giving a major boost for the farmers' income, the Government has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSPs) for all Kharif & Rabi crops.

- (a) Government has increased  the  MSP  for  all mandated  Kharif,  Rabi  and  other commercial crops with a return of at least 50 per cent over all India weighted average cost of production from 2018-19.
- (b) MSP for Paddy has increased to Rs. 1868 per quintal in 2020-21 from Rs.1310 per    quintal in 2013-14 marking an increase of 43%.
- (c) MSP for Wheat increased from Rs. 1400 per quintal in 2013-14 to Rs.1975 per quintal in 2020-21.

(v) Soil  Health  Cards: Implementation  of  flagship  scheme  of  distribution  of  Soil Health Cards to farmers so that the use of fertilizers can be rationalized. Soil health cards have been issued free of cost to nearly 11 crore farmers under a nationwide program.

(vi) Per  Drop  More  Crop :  initiative  under  which  drip/sprinkler  irrigation  is  being encouraged  for  optimal  utilization  of  water,  reducing  cost  of  inputs  and  increasing productivity. Per Drop More Crop component of Pradhan antri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY\_PDMC)  aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation technologies, i.e., drip and sprinkler irrigation systems.  Under the scheme an area  of 20.39 lakh hectare has been covered and about 16 lakh farmers were benefited under micro-irrigation during 2019-20 & 2020-21. An amount of Rs.5262.20 crore has been provided to states as central assistance under PMKSY-PDMC during 2019-20 and 2020-21. For the year 2021-22, an amount of Rs. 4000.00 crore (B.E.) has been allocated for implementation of the scheme and an amount of Rs. 351.50 crore released to States so far.

(vii) Paramparagat  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (PKVY): for  promoting  organic  farming. From 2018-19 to 2020-21,  achievement under PKVY scheme-19043 clusters have been formed  and an area of 3.81 lakh hectare has been covered benefitting 9.52 lakh farmers. In addition, under Namami Gange Programme 123620 hectare area covered and under natural farming 4.09  lakh hectare area covered.

(viii)  National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) scheme: Launch of e-NAM initiative to provide  farmers with transparent and competitive online trading platform.

- (a) In 18 states and 03 UTs, 1000 markets have already been integrated with the E- NAM Platform.
- (b) As  of  24.11.2021,  total  volume  of  4.99  crore  MT  &  10.57  crore  numbers (Bamboo,  Betel Leaves, Coconut, Lemon & Sweet corn) with collective worth of approximately Rs. 1.57 lakh crore of trade has been recorded on e-NAM platform.  So  far,  more  than  1.72  crore  farmers  and  2.04  lakh  traders have been registered with e-NAM platform.

(ix) Har  Med  Par  Ped :  Under  the  scheme,  agro  forestry  is  being  promoted  for additional income. With the amendment of Indian Forest Act, 1927, Bamboo has been removed from   the definition of trees. A restructured National Bamboo Mission has been launched in the   year 2018 to promote bamboo plantation on non-forest government as well  as  private  land    and  emphasis  on  value  addition,  product  development  and markets.

(x) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PMAASHA) :  Giving a major boost to the pro-farmer initiatives, the Government has approved a new Umbrella Scheme  'Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PMAASHA)'. The Scheme is aimed  at ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for the produce as announced in the Union  Budget for 2018. This is an unprecedented step taken by Government of India to protect the farmers' income which is expected to go a long way towards the welfare of farmers.

(xi) Price  Support  Scheme  (PSS): Increase  in  procurement  under  PSS:  The procurement  of       Pulses,  oilseeds  and  copra  at  MSP  under  Price  Support  Scheme (PSS) has increased upto 167.05 LMT during 2014-15 to 2021-22 (upto 22.07.2021).

Moreover,  16.83  LMT  of oilseeds  had  also  been  procured  under  Price  Deficiency payment Scheme (PDPS) in 2018-19. In addition to this around 15.53 LMT of Pulses has  also  been  procured  at  MSP  under Price  Stabilization  Fund  (PSF)  under administrative control of Department of Consumer Affair.

(xii) Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH): Bee keeping has been promoted under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) to increase the  productivity  of  crops  through  pollination  and  increase  the  honey production as an additional source of income of farmers.

(xiii)  Institutional Credit for Agriculture : To ensure flow of adequate credit, Government sets  annual target for  the flow of credit to the agriculture  sector, Banks have been consistently      surpassing the annual target. The agriculture credit flow target has been set at Rs.13.50 lakh crore for the F.Y. 2019-20, Rs.15.00 lakh crore for F.Y. 2020-21 and Rs.16.50 lakh   crore for FY 2021-22.

(xiv)  Interest Subvention Scheme: Extending the reach of institutional credit to more and  more farmers is priority area of  the  Government and to achieve  this goal, the Government        provides interest subvention of 2% on short-term crop loans up to Rs.3.00 lakh.  Presently,  loan is available to farmers at an interest rate of 4% per annum on prompt repayment.

(xv) Further, under Interest Subvention Scheme 2018-19, in order to provide relief to the farmers on occurrence of natural calamities, the interest subvention of 2% shall continue    to be available to banks for the first year on the restructured amount. In order to      discourage distress sale by farmers and to encourage them to store their produce in  warehouses against negotiable receipts, the benefit of interest subvention will be available   to small and marginal farmers having Kisan Credit Card for a further period of upto six months post harvest on the same rate as available to crop loan.

(xvi)  Kisan Credit Card (KCC): The Government has extended the facility of Kisan Credit  Card  (KCC)  to  the  farmers  practicing  animal  husbandry  and  fisheries  related activities.  All  processing  fee,  inspection,  leger  folio  charges  and  all  other  services charges have been waived off for fresh renewal of KCC. Collateral fee loan limit for short term agri-credit has been raised from Rs. 1.00 lakh to Rs. 1.60 lakh. KCC will be issued within 14 days from the receipt of completed application.

(xvii) Several market reforms related programmes and policies have been rolled out to facilitate   farmers and producers with remunerative price for their produce.

(xviii) Creating of Corpus Fund

- (a) Micro Irrigation Fund - Rs. 10,000 Crore.
- (b) Agriculture Infrastructure Fund of Rs. One Lakh Crore.

(xix)  Farmers'  Producer  Companies  (FPOs): Formation  and  Promotion  of  Farmers' Producer Companies (FPOs) to form and promote 10,000 FPOs.

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