Lok Sabha Question No. 1964 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-01
Subject: Addressing Agricultural Issues
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: S. Jagathrakshakan

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1964

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 1 ST  AUGUST, 2023

## ADDRESSING AGRICULTURAL ISSUES

1964.  SHRI S. JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  concurs  with  the  view  that  the  issue  of  wastages  and increase in the income from agriculture can be addressed if proper technologies are developed and made accessible at the farm level;
- (b)  if so, the details of the steps that are proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (c)  if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (c):  The  Government  of  India  supports  and  facilitates  the  State  Governments through various Centrally Sponsored and Central Sector Schemes to promote agriculture throughout the country and infusing technologies into the agriculture sector with a view to reduce  wastages  and  increase  the  income  of  farmers.  The  technologies  include equipments and machines for precision farming, tillage and land preparation, sowing and planting, irrigation, crop protection, harvesting and threshing, post production, processing and  & on farm value addition, crop residue management etc.

Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) is being implemented through the State Governments w.e.f. 2014-15, with the major objectives of increasing the reach of farm mechanization to small and marginal farmers & to the regions where availability of farm power is low and promoting 'Custom Hiring Centres' to offset the adverse economies of  scale  arising  due  to  small  landholding  and  high  cost  of  individual  ownership  on equipments and machines.  Under this scheme, financial assistance @ 40% to 50% of the  cost,  depending  on  the  categories  of  farmers,  is  provided  for  purchase  of  various equipments and machines including drones.  Financial assistance @ 40% of the project cost is also provided to rural youth & farmer as an entrepreneur, Cooperative Societies of Farmers,  Registered  Farmers  Societies,  Farmer  Producer  Organizations  (FPOs)  and Panchayats for establishment of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) and Hi-tech hubs of high value agricultural machines and equipments. Financial assistance @ 80% of the project cost for the projects costing up to Rs. 10 Lakhs is provided to the Cooperative Societies, Registered Farmer Societies, FPOs and Panchayats for setting up of village level Farm Machinery Banks (FMBs). The rate of financial assistance for the North Eastern States for establishment of FMBs is @95% of the project cost for the projects costing up to Rs. 10 lakhs. To encourage the use of these various  technologies and spread its awareness among the farmers, various activities are undertaken  which include on-farm testing to identify location specific technologies under various farming systems, frontline demonstrations  of  improved  agricultural  technologies  on  the  farmers'  fields,  capacity building  programmes,  farm  advisories  using  various  Information  &  Communication Technologies (ICT) etc.

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