Lok Sabha Question No. 1489 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-29
Subject: Inclusion of Women in Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Amrinder Singh Raja Warring

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1489

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 TH     JULY, 2025

## INCLUSION OF WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

1489. SHRI AMRINDER SINGH RAJA WARRING:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  collects  and  maintains  gender-disaggregated  data  on access to key agricultural schemes such as subsidies, credit, training, extension services etc;
- (b) if so, the details of such data for the past three years, particularly for women farmers across different States/UTs;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  assessment  of  barriers  faced  by women in accessing agriculture entitlements and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  there  are  dedicated  components  or  schemes  aimed  at  enhancing  the participation  of  women  as  cultivators  and  decision-makers  in  agriculture,  and  if  so,  the details thereof; and
- (e) the  steps taken to  improve  women's access to  land  ownership, institutional credit, and market linkages?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a) & (b): The Government collects and maintains certain gender disaggregated data on access to key agricultural schemes for providing subsidies, training, extension services as per the eligibility and conditions existing in the scheme guidelines.

Under the  Agriculture  Technology  Management  Agency  (ATMA) Scheme,  genderdisaggregated data is collected with a focus on women farmers' participation and access to resources and benefits. State/UT-wise data of women beneficiaries for the last three years (2022-2025)  is  placed  at Annexure-I. The  ATMA Scheme, currently  implemented  in  740 districts across 28 States and 5 UTs, provides training to women farmers in agriculture and allied sectors. As per ATMA Guidelines, a minimum of 30% of resources are earmarked for women farmers and women extension functionaries.

The  Central  Sector  Agri-Clinics  and  Agri-Business  Centres  (AC&ABC)  Scheme, implemented by National  Institute  of  Agricultural  Extension  Management  (MANAGE)  and National  Bank  for  Agriculture  and  Rural  Development  (NABARD),  provides  45-days residential  training  and  financial  support  to  qualified  rural  youth,  including  women,  for setting up  agri-ventures. Women candidates are eligible for 44% subsidy (for loans up to ₹20 lakh individually or ₹1 crore for group projects), along with the option to co-obligate with parents  or  spouse  for  credit.  During  the  last  three  years  (2022-23  to  2024-25),  1,769 women were trained,  759  agri-ventures  were  established  by  women  and  subsidies  were provided to 114 women.

Under  Skill  Training  for  Rural  Youth  (STRY),  short-duration  (7-day)  vocational trainings are conducted in agriculture and allied sectors. From 2022-23 to 2024-25, a total of 20,831 women have been trained across States in areas such as mushroom cultivation, goat rearing, organic farming, dairy, post-harvest technologies, and biofertilizers.

The  Diploma  in  Agricultural  Extension  Services  for  Input  Dealers  (DAESI)  is  oneyear diploma  programme, implemented through States Agricultural  Management  & Extension Training Institute (SAMETIs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), and State Agriculture Universities (SAUs), aims to equip input dealers with agricultural knowledge and extension skills. From 2022-23 to 2024-25, 2,853 women input dealers have been trained under the programme

The  Ministry  operates  four  Extension  Education  Institutes  (EEIs)  at  Hyderabad, Nilokheri, Anand, and Guwahati for training of field-level extension personnel. From 202223 to 2024-25, a total of 7,279 women extension officers have been trained through EEIs in various  thematic  areas  of  extension  education,  communication,  and  technology.  These efforts are part of the Government's  broader  strategy to promote  gender-inclusive agricultural  development  through  capacity  building,  financial  access,  and  institutional support.

The  Ministry  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  is  implementing  the  sub-scheme 'Agricultural  Marketing  Infrastructure  (AMI)'  under  the  Integrated  Scheme  for  Agricultural Marketing  (ISAM)  for  creation  of  agricultural  marketing  infrastructure,  including  scientific storage.  It  is  a  capital  investment,  demand-driven,  credit-linked,  back-ended  subsidy scheme. Assistance is provided to eligible beneficiaries including women, with a subsidy of 33.33% for women, SC/ST promoters, FPOs, NER and hilly areas and subsidy of 25% for plain  areas.  The  details  of  Projects  implemented  in  the  past  three  years,  particularly  for women entrepreneurs including women farmers across States/UTs is at Annexure-II .

The ICAR-Central Institute for Women in Agriculture (ICAR-CIWA), Bhubaneswar maintains  a  Gender  Knowledge  System  portal  based  on  Census  2001  and  2011  data. During  2021-24,  ICAR-CIWA  and  AICRP  on  Women  in  Agriculture  Centres  conducted 1,108 capacity building programmes across 13 States, benefiting 43,385 farm women.

The  Government  is  implementing  the  Krishi  Vigyan  Kendras  (KVKs)  scheme  in different  States  of  the  country  with  mandate  of  single-window  agricultural  knowledge, resource  and  capacity  development  centres.  KVKs  impart  training  to  farmers  including women  farmers  and  regularly  conduct  trainings  for  women  farmers  on  agriculture  and allied  sectors,  including  specialized  topics  such  as  nutrition,  value  addition,  drudgery reduction, rural crafts, and women empowerment.

The Land Regulations Division under the Department of Land Resources captures land  ownership  data  through  the  Management  Information  System  (MIS)  of  the  Digital India  Land  Records  Modernization  Programme  (DILRMP).  Gender-disaggregated  land ownership data (RoR) captured in certain States/UTs, subject to the availability  of such data in the respective MIS.

The  Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  (DA&FW)  has  established  4 numbers of Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes (FMTTIs) at Budni (MP), Hisar

(Haryana), Anantapur (AP) and Biswanath Chariali (Assam) for imparting the training and awareness about various schemes, agricultural machinery and equipments, latest farming technology to the women farmers on Agricultural Machinery Management & Operation of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs). A target of 10% women farmers at all the 4 FMTTIs has given out of the total target assigned. A total of 25,447 women farmers have been trained for the last three years 2022-23 to 2024-25 at 4 FMTTIs.

National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), DA&FW has trained a total of 1125 women farmers from 2023-24 to 2025 (till date) including women farmers under Namo Drone Didi scheme.

(c): ICAR-CIWA has conducted study on major challenges identified through participatory research and extension. These are poor awareness in accessing agricultural entitlements,  limited  mobility,  socio-cultural  constraints, inadequate access  to productive resources and markets etc.

(d): The Central Sector Scheme 'Namo Drone Didi' for providing drones to the women Self  Help  Groups  (SHGs)  with  an  outlay  of  Rs.1261  Crores  has  been  approved.  The scheme  aims  to  provide  drones  to  15000  selected  Women  SHGs  for  providing  rental services to farmers for agriculture purpose (application of fertilizers and pesticides).

The ATMA scheme emphasis on active involvement of women in decision process at various levels including the Governing Body and Management Committee at district level as well as Farmer Advisory Committee (FAC) at Block, District and State level.

ICAR-CIWA and All India Coordinated Research Project on Women in Agriculture (AICRP on  WiA)  are  dedicated  schemes  to  conduct  research  on  issues  related  to  women  in agriculture and allied sectors. The Institute has developed two gender responsive extension models  viz.,  Sustainable  She-Preneurship  in  Mushroom  Cultivation  Model  (2S2M)  and Gender Responsive Integrated Homestead Aqua-Horticulture (GRIHA) Model for enhancing participation of women in agricultural and allied activities.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) is a flagship  poverty  alleviation  programme implemented  exclusively  through  women. During FY 2022-23 to 2024-25, 2.58 crore women farmers were trained in agro-ecological and livestock  management  practices,  and  2.50  lakh  Krishi/Pashu  Sakhis  were  trained  as community  resource  persons.  Additionally,  503  Krishi  Sakhis  were  trained  as  Drone Sakhis, 70,021 Self Help Group (SHG) women were trained in Natural Farming, and 800 women-owned producer companies were promoted under the Farmers Producer Organisation  (FPO)  Scheme.  The  Department  of  Animal  Husbandry  has  trained  and recognized 7,294 Pashu Sakhis as A-HELP (Livestock Resource Persons).

(e): Under  the  10,000  FPOs  scheme  as  on  24.07.2025,  1976  FPOs  with  more  than 50% women members, 1404 FPOs with more than 75% women members and 1265 FPOs with 100% women members have been formed. Under the scheme there are 36.90 lakh beneficiary farmers, out of which 14.50 lakh are women beneficiary.

Under Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS), 100% centrally funded, Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans are provided at a subsidized interest rate of 7% per annum, with 1.5%  Interest  Subvention  (IS)  to  financial  institutions  and  an  additional  3%  Prompt Repayment  Incentive  (PRI)  for  timely  repayment,  reducing  the  effective  rate  to  4%  for loans up to ₹3 lakh. For allied activities, the limit is ₹2 lakh. To enhance access, including for  women  farmers,  awareness  is  being  created  through  IEC  campaigns  by  banks, State/Central  Governments,  RBI,  NABARD,  etc.,  and  through  digital  platforms  like  the Kisan Rin Portal. The collateral-free credit limit has also been enhanced from ₹1.6 lakh to ₹2 lakh w.e.f. 1st January 2025.

A list of about 30 identified gender-friendly tools and equipment developed by the Research and Development Organization for use in different farm operations has already been sent to all the States and UTs for popularising them. The financial assistance as cost subsidy to the machinery is being provided to the women farmers under Sub Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM) scheme is 50% which is 10% more than the general category farmers. For the individual ownership of the farm machinery State Governments have  been  directed  to  earmark  30  per  cent  of  total  funds  allocated  under    SMAM  for women beneficiaries.

ICAR-CIWA  creates  awareness  and  conducts  capacity  building  programmes among farm women for better access to technologies & information, and promotes Self Help Group-led income generating activities to strengthen economic independence.

## Annexure-I

## Details of Women Farmers Benefitted under ATMA Scheme from 2022-23 to 2024-25

(In Nos.)

| Sl. No.   | States/UTs        | Years   | Years   | Years   |
|-----------|-------------------|---------|---------|---------|
|           |                   | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh    | 6131    | 6499    | 461     |
| 2.        | Bihar             | 59132   | 137451  | 41991   |
| 3.        | Chhattisgarh      | 23402   | 3548    | 9560    |
| 4.        | Goa               | 2789    | 4354    | 506     |
| 5.        | Gujarat           | 98728   | 41122   | 29083   |
| 6.        | Haryana           | 8927    | 5796    | 405     |
| 7.        | Himachal Pradesh  | 6596    | 18881   | 20168   |
| 8.        | Jammu & Kashmir   | 7265    | 3568    | 19520   |
| 9.        | Jharkhand         | 11023   | 10214   | 11293   |
| 10.       | Karnataka         | 75383   | 49865   | 56064   |
| 11.       | Kerala            | 47135   | 50796   | 18868   |
| 12.       | Maharashtra       | 113669  | 130912  | 119541  |
| 13.       | Madhya Pradesh    | 28897   | 64073   | 6272    |
| 14.       | Odisha            | 22046   | 11597   | 37460   |
| 15.       | Punjab            | 6205    | 4973    | 2352    |
| 16.       | Rajasthan         | 45698   | 2945    | 12933   |
| 17.       | Telangana         | 1344    | 93      | 1820    |
| 18.       | Tamil Nadu        | 144596  | 148717  | 235255  |
| 19.       | Uttar Pradesh     | 95566   | 152654  | 144896  |
| 20.       | Uttarakhand       | 12260   | 12716   | 15897   |
| 21.       | West Bengal       | 97587   | 42058   | 92361   |
| 22.       | Assam             | 16010   | 13635   | 20457   |
| 23.       | Arunachal Pradesh | 20092   | 6000    | 24257   |
| 24.       | Manipur           | 5483    | 1170    | 8235    |
| 25.       | Meghalaya         | 6070    | 13055   | 12040   |
| 26.       | Mizoram           | 2060    | 922     | 1644    |
| 27.       | Nagaland          | 26043   | 18987   | 26932   |
| 28.       | Tripura           | 2718    | 4383    | 14370   |
| 29.       | Sikkim            | 2289    | 2778    | 2779    |
| 30.       | Delhi             | 0       | 0       | 157     |
| 31.       | Puducherry        | 2080    | 3009    | 1575    |
| 32.       | A&N               | 3108    | 4542    | 3446    |
| 33.       | Ladakh            | 154     | 432     | 309     |
| Total     | Total             | 1000486 | 971745  | 992907  |

## AMI (Agriculture Marketing Infrastructure)-Women Beneficiaries from 2022-23 to 2024-25.

| Sl. No.   | State          |   Number of Projects |   Capacity (in MT) |
|-----------|----------------|----------------------|--------------------|
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh |                   11 |    20581.7         |
| 2.        | Assam          |                    5 |    17444.3         |
| 3.        | Bihar          |                   43 |   131714           |
| 4.        | Chhattisgarh   |                    7 |    16735.6         |
| 5.        | Goa            |                    3 |        0           |
| 6.        | Gujarat        |                   63 |    94761           |
| 7.        | Haryana        |                   49 |   165388           |
| 8.        | Karnataka      |                   28 |    11638.2         |
| 9.        | Kerala         |                    2 |      653.72        |
| 10.       | Madhya Pradesh |                  222 |   883049           |
| 11.       | Maharashtra    |                  141 |   370415           |
| 12.       | Odisha         |                    4 |     8874.83        |
| 13.       | Punjab         |                   15 |    48130.8         |
| 14.       | Rajasthan      |                   20 |    74977.3         |
| 15.       | Tamil Nadu     |                    2 |     6388.14        |
| 16.       | Telangana      |                   67 |   173993           |
| 17.       | Uttar Pradesh  |                   15 |    57985.6         |
| 18.       | Uttarakhand    |                   20 |    81241.3         |
| 19.       | West Bengal    |                    2 |     1157.66        |
| Total     | Total          |                  719 |        2.16513e+06 |

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