Lok Sabha Question No. 1862 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-01
Subject: Improving Agricultural productivity and Farmer Welfare
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

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

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS' WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1862

TO BE ANSWERED ON 1 ST  AUGUST, 2023

## IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND FARMER WELFARE

1862. COL. RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ षि एवं षकसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to State? (a) the details of existing initiatives and budget allocations aimed at improving agricultural productivity and farmer welfare across the nation; (b) the details of the specific plans and programs which are in place for promoting organic farming and the adoption of innovative technologies in agriculture; (c) the strategies deployed to ensure fair market prices and enhance income of farmers, as well as measures taken to reduce farmer indebtedness and enhance agricultural credit availability; (d)  the  effectiveness  and  impact  of  these  initiatives  on  improving  farmer  welfare  and quality of life along with specific data or indicators demonstrating this impact; and (e)  the  details  of  Government  plans  to  promote  sustainable agricultural  practices  and climate-resilient  farming  in  order  to  future-proof  the  sector  against  environmental challenge  and  manner  in  which  the  Government  is  ensuring  the  implementation  and

- success of these plans?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ षि एवं षकसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) The Government of India is deeply committed to the welfare of farmers and has taken numerous measures to support agriculture across the country. A comprehensive range  of  central  sector  and  centrally  sponsored  schemes  has  been  implemented  to

address various aspects of agriculture and benefit farmers. Apart from the schemes, the Government has also taken several initiatives to enhance income and improve quality of life  of  farmers which include unprecedented enhancement in budget allocation for the Ministry  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers Welfare from  Rs. 30224.38 crore in 2013-14 to Rs. 125035.79 crore in 2023-24. List of major schemes being implemented by the Department of Agriculture and farmers Welfare is given in the Annexure.

(b) to (d) To  promote  organic  and  natural  farming  practices,  initiatives  like  the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Mission Organic Value Chain Development for  North  Eastern  Region  (MOVCDNER)  and  National  Mission  on  Natural  Farming (NMNF) have been introduced. Ensuring that farmers receive fair and remunerative prices for their crops is a top priority of the Government. This is achieved by fixing Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for mandated Kharif, Rabi, and other commercial crops, ensuring a minimum return of 50 per cent over the all India weighted average cost of production. Additionally, the establishment  of  the  National  Agriculture  Market  (e-NAM)  facilitates  transparent  and competitive price discovery by enabling farmers to sell their produce online and connect with buyers from all over the country. Addressing the crucial aspect of credit availability,  the  Government has set an ambitious target of Rs.18.5 lakh crore in 2022-23 for institutional credit to agriculture. Concessional institutional credit is provided through the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme at a low-interest rate of 4% per annum, and efforts are being made to saturate the KCC coverage to reach more farmers. To  harness  the  power  of  technology,  the  Government  is  building  a  digital agriculture  ecosystem  known  as  "agristack."  Furthermore,  recognizing  the  potential benefits  of  drone  technologies  in  agriculture,  the  Government  has  released  Standard Operating  Procedures  (SOPs)  to  leverage  drones  effectively  for  various  agricultural activities. These initiatives collectively reflect the Government's dedication to empowering farmers, promoting sustainable practices, and ensuring the growth and prosperity of the agricultural sector in India. However, a comprehensive study covering impact of these initiatives  on  improving  farmer  welfare  and  quality  of  life  along  with  specific  data  or indicators is not available.

(e) Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is implementing National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) which is one of the National Missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). NMSA aims at transforming Indian agriculture into an ecologically sustainable climate resilient production system, while ensuring food security, employment  and  livelihood opportunities in rural areas. Also, National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) Project, being implemented by the ICAR, is dedicated to enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture through development and application of improved production and risk management technologies. ICAR has developed several climate resilient technologies that helps in reducing emissions from agriculture sector. Out of 2279 varieties developed by the ICAR since 2014, 1888 are climate resilient varieties.

## List of major schemes being implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

|   Sl No | Name of the Scheme                                               |
|---------|------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)                     |
|       2 | Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY)                   |
|       3 | Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)                         |
|       4 | Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS)                                 |
|       5 | Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)                            |
|       6 | Formation and Promotion of Farmers Producers Organizations       |
|       7 | Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)                                        |
|       8 | Sub-Mission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE)                      |
|       9 | Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM)                  |
|      10 | Sub-Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP)                 |
|      11 | Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)                          |
|      12 | National Food Security Mission (NFSM)                            |
|      13 | Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing (ISAM)               |
|      14 | Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)        |
|      15 | Soil Health Card (SHC)                                           |
|      16 | Rainfed Area Development (RAD)                                   |
|      17 | Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)                              |
|      18 | National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oil Palm                  |
|      19 | National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oilseeds                  |
|      20 | Market Intervention Scheme and Price support Scheme (MIS-PSS)    |
|      21 | National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM)                     |
|      22 | Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region |

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