Lok Sabha Question No. 1173 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-11
Subject: Farmers' Welfare Measures
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Manickam Tagore B, Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1173

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  FEBRUARY 2025

## FARMERS' WELFARE MEASURES

1173.  SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B: SHRI VIJAYKUMAR ALIAS VIJAY VASANTH:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष और िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is working for the farmers' welfare and if so, the details thereof and the extent of benefits received by them as a result thereof especially in light of ongoing farm distress;
- (b) the details of steps taken by the Government to improve the economic conditions   of the farmers in the last few years;
- (c) the manner in which the Government proposes to address unique needs of the farmers with 70% of farmers owning small landholdings;
- (d)  whether  the  upcoming  budget  include  targeted  provisions  for  income  support,  land reforms and improved access to credit, if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the manner in which the Government proposes to ensure that these suggestions are implemented effectively, and the steps taken if any to prevent their political use;
- (f)  the  manner  in  which  the  Government  proposes  to  address  critical  issues  like  water scarcity, MSP, and crop insurance in the upcoming budget; and
- (g) whether farmers will get the meaningful provisions and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

क ृ िष और िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी

(SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) to (c): Agriculture is a State subject and Government of India supports the efforts of States through appropriate policy measures, budgetary allocation and various schemes/ programmes. The various schemes/ programmes of the Government of India are meant for the welfare of farmers by increasing production, remunerative returns and income support to  farmers.  The  Government  has  substantially  enhanced  the  budget  allocation  of Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare(DA&FW) from Rs. 21933.50 crore BE during 2013-14 to Rs. 1,22,528.77 crore BE during 2024-25. Schemes/programmes initiated by DA&FW are  conceptualised  and  implemented  taken  in  consideration  of  improving  the economic condition of farmers owning small handholdings, acess to credit and to enhance overall income of farmers and remunerative returns in the agriculture sector.

PM KISAN Samman Nidhi Scheme has been launched in 2019 with the sole objective to enhance the income of farmers owning small landholdings. This scheme provides Rs. 6000 per year in 3 equal instalments. So far, more than Rs.3.46 lakh Cr. has been disbursed to eligible farmers through 18 instalments.

The other major schemes run by Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare for enhance of overall income of farmers are as under:

1. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY)
2. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)/ Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS)
3. Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS)
4. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
5. Formation and Promotion of 10,000 new Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs)
6. National Bee Keeping and Honey Mission (NBHM)
7. Namo Drone Didi
8. National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)
9. Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA)
10. Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises' (AgriSURE)
11. Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)
12. Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM)
13. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
14. Soil Health & Fertility (SH&F)
15. Rainfed Area Development (RAD)
16. Agroforestry
17. Crop Diversification Programme (CDP)
18. Sub-Mission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE)
19. Sub-Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP)
20. National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM)
21. Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing (ISAM)
22. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
23. National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oil Palm
24. National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oilseeds
25. Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region
26. Digital Agriculture Mission
27. National Bamboo Mission

PM-AASHA (Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan ) scheme ensures remunerative  prices  for  farmers'  produce  and  prevent  distress  sales.  It  aims  to strengthen  the  Minimum  Support  Price  (MSP)  mechanism  and  provide  better  price support for farmers.

'Formation & Promotion of new 10,000 FPOs with budget outlay of Rs 6,865 Crore. Farmers Producer Organization  (FPOs) are  being  set  up  to  give  farmers  collective bargaining  power  in  markets  as  well  as  enabling  small  farmers  to  pool  resources, access technology, and get better prices for their crops.

Agriculture  Infrastructure  Fund  (AIF) with  financial  provision  of  one  Lakh  Crore scheme has been launched with an objective to mobilize a medium - long term debt financing  facility  for  investment  in  viable  projects  for  post-harvest  management Infrastructure and community farming assets through incentives and financial support in  order  to  improve  agriculture  infrastructure  in  the  country.  Following  supports  are being provided under Agri Infra Fund.

Interest Subvention : All loans under this financing facility have interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit of ₹ 2 crore. This subvention is available for a maximum period of 7 years. In case of loans beyond ₹ 2 crore, interest subvention is limited up to ₹ 2 crore.

Credit Guarantee : Credit guarantee coverage is available for eligible borrowers from this  financing  facility  under  Credit  Guarantee  Fund  Trust  for  Micro  and  Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to ₹ 2 crore. The fee for this coverage will be paid by the Government. In case of FPOs the credit guarantee may be availed from the facility created under FPO promotion scheme of DA&FW.

Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) provides Interest Subvention (IS) of 1.5% to various Financial Institutions (Banks, RRBs, PACS, etc.) for delivering ShortTerm Agriculture Operation (STAO) loans at a fixed rate of 7% to farmers through KCC. If the farmer repays the loan within time, he gets a Prompt Repayment Incentive(PRI) of 3%, bringing his loan liability to 4% overall (7% minus 3%). It is exclusively operated through Kisan Credit Card (KCC).

National Mission on Edible Oils - Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds) has been launched on 3 rd  Oct, 2024 for enhancing the production of key primary oilseed crops such as Rapeseed-Mustard,  Groundnut,  Soybean,  Sunflower,  and  Sesamum,  as  well  as increasing collection and extraction efficiency from secondary sources like Cottonseed, Rice  Bran,  and  Tree  Borne  Oils.  The  mission  aims  to  increase  primary  oilseed production  from  39  million  tonnes  (2022-23)  to  69.7  million  tonnes  by  2030-31. Together with NMEO-OP (Oil Palm), the Mission targets to increase domestic edible oil production to 25.45 million tonnes by 2030-31 meeting around 72% of our projected domestic requirement. To ensure the timely availability of quality seeds, the Mission will  introduce  an  online  5-year  rolling  seed  plan  through  the  'Seed  Authentication, Traceability & Holistic Inventory (SATHI)' Portal, enabling states to establish advance tie-ups  with  seed-producing  agencies,  including  cooperatives,  Farmer  Producer Organizations  (FPOs),  and  government  or  private  seed  corporations.  65  new  seed hubs and 50 seed storage units will be set up in public sector to improve the seed production infrastructure.

(d) to (g) : The  following  have  been  proposed  in  the  upcoming  budget    for  income support, improve access to credit and overall growth of agriculture sector:

Enhanced Credit through KCC:Loan increased from 3 lakh to ₹5 lakh to facilitate short term loans for 7.7 crore farmers, fishermen, and dairy farmers.

Aatmanirbharta in Pulses:To launch a 6-year Mission with special focus on Tur, Urad and Masoor, emphasizing development and commercial availability of climate resilient seeds, enhancing protein content, increasing productivity and improving post- harvest storage and management, assuring remunerative prices to the farmers. National Mission on High Yielding Seeds:Targeted development and propagation of seeds with high yield, pest resistance and climate resilience. Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana - It has been proposed Agri Districts Programme to cover 100 districts which is likely to help 1.7 crore farmers. Mission for Cotton Productivity :-  To be launched  a 5-year mission to facilitate improvements in productivity and sustainability of cotton farming. Makhana Board in Bihar:It is proposed to set up Makhana Board to Improve production, processing, value addition, and marketing and organisation of FPOs.

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