Lok Sabha Question No. 941 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-13
Subject: Upliftment of Small and Marginal Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Arjunlal Meena, Jadon Chandra Sen, Keshari Devi Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS' WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS' WELFARE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 941 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13 TH  DECEMBER,2022

## UPLIFTMENT OF SMALL AND MARGINAL FARMERS

941.   SHRI ARJUN LAL MEENA: DR. CHANDRA SEN JADON: SHRIMATI KESHARI DEVI PATEL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to State?

- (a) whether any scheme is being implemented by the Government for the upliftment of small and marginal farmers;
- (b) if so, the details of the said scheme, State/ UT-wise and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)  whether  a  huge  investment  is  being  made  in  agriculture  infrastructure  to  increase  the income of small and marginal farmers and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has made/likely to make any additional investment to increase the  income of the small and marginal farmers of Firozabad and Prayagraj districts of Uttar Pradesh, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether the country is self-sufficient in food production and also has the capacity to meet the food requirements of a large part of the world; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  to  (d)  Government  of  India  is  implementing  various  Central  Sector  and  Centrally Sponsored Schemes keeping in view of present and future requirements of the agriculture sector  as  well  as  interests  of  all  farmers  including  small  and  marginal  farmers.  These schemes cover entire spectrum of agriculture including infrastructure, technology, mechanization,  irrigation,  fertilizers,  seeds,  skill  development,  income  support  to  farmers,

O.I.H.

procurement  of  crops  at  minimum  support  prices,  credit  and  crop  insurance  at  subsidized rates,  marketing,  support  for  agri  startups  etc.  These  schemes  are  being  implemented  all over  the  country  including  Uttar  Pradesh.  Moreover,  Govt.  of  India  in  2020  launched Agriculture  Infrastructure  Fund  (AIF)  as  a  medium  -  long  term  debt  financing  facility  for investment  in  viable  projects  for  post-harvest  management  infrastructure  and  community farming assets through interest subvention and credit guarantee support. The Fund of Rs. 1 lakh crore under the scheme will be disbursed from 2020-21 to 2025-26. Tentative allocation for  Uttar  Pradesh  is  Rs  12,831  crore.  Therefore,  additional  investments  for  Firozabad  and Prayagraj districts are not under consideration as of now. Moreover these districts have small and marginal farmers 1.55 Lakh (87%) and 5.13 Lakh (93%) respectively as per agriculture census 2010-11. Therefore, maximum number of farmers benifitted under various schemes in these  districts  are  small  and  marginal.  A  brief  of  major  beneficiary  oriented  schemes implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is given in Annexure.

(e) & (f)  India is self-sufficient  in food grains. Due to the concerted efforts of the Central, State Governments and farmers, production of food grains has increased from 265.05 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 315.72 million tonnes in 2021-22 (Fourth advance estimates) which is the  highest  ever  food  grain  production.  Export  of  food  grains  is  dependent  on  domestic supply situation and international demand- supply conditions.

## Annexure

|   Sl No | Name of the Scheme                            | Purpose                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|---------|-----------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM- KISAN) | PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme launched on 24th February 2019 to supplement financial needs of land holding farmers, subject to exclusions. Under the scheme, financial benefit of Rs 6000/- per year is transferred in three equal four- monthly installments into the bank accounts of farmers' families across the country, through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|       2 | Pradhan Mantri Kisan MaanDhan Yojana (PM-KMY) | In order to provide financial support and security to the most vulnerable farmer families, Government launched Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana w.e.f. 12.09.2019 to provide pension benefits to small and marginal farmers. PM KMY is meant for Small and Marginal Farmers falling in the entry age between 18 to 40 years having cultivable land up to 2 hectares The scheme seeks to provide Rs 3,000/- monthly pension to the Small and Marginal farmers once they attain 60 years of age.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
|       3 | Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)      | PMFBY was launched in 2016 in order to provide a simple and affordable crop insurance product to ensure comprehensive risk cover for crops to farmers against all non-preventable natural risks from pre-sowing to post- harvest and to provide adequate claim amount. The scheme is demand driven and available to all farmers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|       4 | Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS)              | The Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) provides concessional short term agri-loans to the farmers practicing crop husbandry and other allied activities like animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries. ISS is available to farmers availing short term crop loans upto Rs.3.00 lakh at an interest rate of 7% per annum for one year. Additional 3% subvention is also given to the farmers for prompt and timely repayment of loans thus reducing the effective rate of interest to 4% per annum. The benefit of ISS is also available for post-harvest loans against Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (NWRs) on crop loans for a further period of six months post-harvest to small and marginal farmers having Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs), on occurrence of natural calamities and severe natural calamities. |

|   5 | Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)    | In order to address the existing infrastructure gaps and mobilize investment in agriculture infrastructure, Agri Infra Fund was launched under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package. AIF was introduced with a vision to transform the agriculture infrastructure landscape of the country. The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund is a medium - long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and credit guarantee support. The Fund of Rs. 1 lakh crore under the scheme will be disbursed from FY 2020-21 to FY2025-26 and the support under the scheme will be provided for the duration of FY2020-21 to FY2032-33. Under the scheme, Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans with interest subvention of 3% per annum and credit guarantee coverage under CGTMSE for loans up to Rs. 2 Crores. Further, each entity is eligible to get the benefit of the scheme for up to 25 projects located in different LGD codes. Eligible beneficiaries include Farmers, Agri-entrepreneurs, Start-ups, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Marketing Cooperative Societies, Farmer Producers Organizations(FPOs), Self Help Group (SHG), Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public Private Partnership Projects, State Agencies, Agricultural Produce Market Committees (Mandis), National & State Federations of Cooperatives, Federations of FPOs (Farmer Produce   |
|-----|------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   6 | Formation & Promotion of new 10,000 FPOs | The Government of India has launched the Central Sector Scheme (CSS) for 'Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)' in the year 2020. The scheme has a total budgetary outlay of Rs.6865 crores. Formation & promotion of FPOs are to be done through Implementing Agencies (IAs), which further engage Cluster Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) to form & provide professional handholding support to FPOs for a period of 5 years. FPOs get a financial assistance upto Rs 18.00 lakh per FPO for a period of 03 years. In addition to this, provision has been made for matching equity grant upto Rs. 2,000 per                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |

|    |                                                  | farmer member of FPO with a limit of Rs. 15.00 lakh per FPO and a credit guarantee facility upto Rs. 2 crore of project loan per FPO from eligible lending institution to ensure institutional credit accessibility to FPOs. Suitable provisions have been made for training and skill development of FPOs. Further, FPOs are onboarded on National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform which facilitate online trading of their agricultural commodities through transparent price discovery method to enable FPOs to realize better remunerative prices for their produce.                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|----|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  7 | Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)                        | Per Drop More Crop scheme mainly focuses on water use efficiency at farm level through precision/micro irrigation. Besides promoting precision irrigation (drip and sprinkler irrigation systems) and better on-farm water management practices to optimize the use of available water resources, this component also supports micro level water storage or water conservation/management activities to supplement micro irrigation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|  8 | Sub-Mission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE)      | The scheme aims at making the extension system farmer driven and farmer accountable by disseminating technology to farmers through new institutional arrangements viz. Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) at district level to operationalize extension reforms in a participatory mode.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|  9 | Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM)  | Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) is being implemented w.e.f April, 2014 which aims at catalyzing an accelerated but inclusive growth of agricultural mechanization in India with the objectives of Increasing the reach of farm mechanization to small and marginal farmers and to the regions where availability of farm power is low, Promoting 'Custom Hiring Centres' to offset the adverse economies of scale arising due to small landholding and high cost of individual ownership, Creating hubs for hi-tech& high value farm equipments, Creating awareness among stakeholders through demonstration and capacity building activities and Ensuring performance testing and certification at designated testing centers located all over the country. |
| 10 | Sub-Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP) | SMSP covers the entire gamut of seed production chain, from production of nucleus seed to supply of certified seeds to the farmers, to provide support for creation of infrastructure conducive for development of the seed sector, support to the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |

|    |                                                           | public seed producing organisations for improving their capacity and quality of seed production, create dedicated seed bank to meet unforeseen circumstances of natural calamities, etc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|----|-----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11 | Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)                   | Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) aims at development of sustainable models of organic farming through a mix of traditional wisdom and modern science to ensure long term soil fertility build-up, resource conservation and helps in climate change adaptation and mitigation. It primarily aims to increase soil fertility and thereby helps in production of healthy food through organic practices without the use of agro- chemicals.                                             |
| 12 | National Food Security Mission (NFSM)                     | The Mission aims at increasing production of rice, wheat, pulses coarse cereals (maize & barley), nutri-cereals (jowar, bajra, ragi& other small millets) and commercial crops (jute, cotton & sugarcane) and oilseeds through area expansion and productivity enhancement in a sustainable manner in the identified districts of the country.                                                                                                                                               |
| 13 | Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing (ISAM)        | ISAM supports state governments in governing the agricultural produce marketing through creation and improvement of market structures, capacity building and generating access to market information. During 2017-18, National Agriculture Market Scheme popularly known as e- NAM scheme has also been made part of the same.                                                                                                                                                               |
| 14 | Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) | Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme was launched during 2014-15 for holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and Bamboo.                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 15 | Soil Health Card (SHC)                                    | Soil Health Card is used to assess the current status of soil health and, when used over time, to determine changes in soil health that are affected by land management. A Soil Health Card displays soil health indicators and associated descriptive terms. The indicators are typically based on farmers' practical experience and knowledge of local natural resources. The card lists soil health indicators that can be assessed without the aid of technical or laboratory equipment. |

| 16   | Rainfed Area Development (RAD)   | The Scheme aims to promote integrated farming systems by focusing on multi-cropping, crop rotation and allied activities like livestock, apiculture etc. Integrated farming systems helps in minimizing adverse impact of crop failure through diversified systems thereby enhancing production and productivity of rainfed area and helping in sustaining the income of small and marginal farmers even in climatic variability.   |
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