Lok Sabha Question No. 2842 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-18
Subject: Schemes to promote Skill Development among Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Mani A

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2842

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH  MARCH, 2025

## SCHEMES TO PROMOTE SKILL DEVELOPMENT AMONG FARMERS

## 2842. SHRI MANI A:

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

- (a) the  details  of  schemes  being  implemented  by  the  Government  to  promote  skill development among farmers in agriculture and allied sectors;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to impart skill training to farmers engaged in allied sectors such as horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and beekeeping;
- (c) the number of training programs conducted for these sectors during the last two years along with the number of farmers who have been trained;
- (d) the extent to which these initiatives have helped in enhancing agricultural productivity and farmer's income; and
- (e) whether there is  any  plan  to  introduce  modern  technology  and  innovations  in  these training programs and if so, the details thereof ?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

( a)  &  (b)  :  The  Government  is  implementing  the  following  schemes  aimed  to  promote  skill development among farmers in agriculture and allied sectors.

A  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  on  'Support  to  State  Extension  Programmes  for Extension  Reforms'  popularly  known  as  Agriculture  Technology  Management  Agency (ATMA) is  implemented across the country by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The scheme promotes decentralized farmer-friendly Extension system in the country with an objective to support State Government's efforts to revitalize the extension system and making available  the  latest  agricultural  technologies  and  good  agricultural  practices  in  different thematic areas of  agriculture  and  allied  areas  to  farmers, farm  women  and  youth,  through various  interventions  like  Farmers  Training,  Demonstrations,  Exposure  Visits,  Kisan  Melas etc.  Presently, the scheme is being implemented in 739 districts of 28 States & 5 UTs in the country.

The  Government  is  implementing  Skill  Training  of  Rural  Youth  (STRY)  with  the objective to impart  short  term skill  training  (7 days duration) to rural  youths  and  farmers in agriculture  and  allied  sectors  for  upgradation  of  their  knowledge  and  skills  and  promote wage/self employment in rural areas. The component aims at providing short duration skill based  training  programs  to  rural  youths  and  farmers  on  agri-based  vocational  areas  for creating  a  pool  of  skilled  manpower.  Recently, the  STRY  programme  has  been  subsumed under ATMA cafeteria.

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is implementing 'Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization' (SMAM).  For implementation of this scheme, four  Farm

Machinery Training & Testing Institutes (FMTTIs) located at Budni (Madhya Pradesh), Hissar (Haryana), Geraldine (Andhra Pradesh), and Biswanath Chariali  (Assam), are engaged for imparting  skill  development  training  courses  to  different  categories  of  beneficiaries  like farmers,  technicians,  under  graduate  engineers,  entrepreneurs  on  operation,  repair  and maintenance, energy conservation and management of agricultural equipment's.

Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (RKVY),  an  umbrella  scheme  of  Department  of Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare,  is  implemented for  ensuring holistic  development  of agriculture and allied sectors. There is provision for allowing the states to choose their own agriculture and allied sector development activities including training programmes as per the district/state agriculture plan.

The  Government  is  implementing  skill  development  programmes  through  Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in different States of  the  Country  to  serve  as  single  window  agricultural  knowledge,  resource  and  capacity development centres with mandate of technology assessment and demonstration for its use and capacity building. As part of its activities, the KVKs are imparting training to the farmers, farmwomen  and  rural  youths  on  different  aspects  of  agriculture  and  allied  sectors  (Crop Production,  Horticulture,  Soil  Health  and  Fertility  Management,  Livestock  Production  and Management,  Home  Science/Women  empowerment,  Agril.  Engineering,  Plant  Protection, Fisheries, Production of Input at site, Agro forestry etc.) for their capacity building.

The Government has launched National Skill Development Mission under the Ministry of  Skill  Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in July 2015, under which the DA&FW has been operationalizing skill training courses of minimum 200 hours duration for rural youth and farmers as per the approved Qualification Packs developed by Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) in the areas of agriculture and allied sectors. Recently, this programme has been subsumed under ATMA cafeteria.

(c) : The details of the rural youth trained under STRY programme are given below -

| Year             | 2022-23                         | 2022-23                         | 2023-24                         | 2023-24                         |
|------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|                  | No. of Programs conducted (No.) | No. of candidates trained (No.) | No. of Programs conducted (No.) | No. of candidates trained (No.) |
| Horticulture     | 121                             | 2338                            | 196                             | 4194                            |
| Animal Husbandry | 80                              | 1504                            | 85                              | 1702                            |
| Fisheries        | 27                              | 491                             | 27                              | 508                             |
| Beekeeping       | 38                              | 690                             | 42                              | 881                             |

The details of training programmes organized and farmers trained during the last two years by KVKs are as follows:

| Particulars      |   No. of training programmes organized |   No. of farmers trained |
|------------------|----------------------------------------|--------------------------|
| Horticulture     |                                  15391 |                   458046 |
| Animal husbandry |                                  10533 |                   318555 |
| Fisheries        |                                   2666 |                    74583 |
| Beekeeping       |                                   1031 |                    28453 |

Under  ATMA  programme,  76,72,468  farmers  were  trained  during  the  last  two years(2022-23 & 2023-24) on various topics including the topics from Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Beekeeping.

(d) : Trainings in skill development has empowered the farmer to use advanced technologies in farming and thereby increasing the income from on farm and off farm activities. Extension programmes have made discernible impact in  yield increase of  up to  20%,  by  adoption  of diversified  production system and new technologies. The use of certified seeds by farmers after  extension  programme interventions  has  increased from  1% to 16% as per  third  party evaluation study conducted by Agriculture Finance Corporation Ltd.

(e): Skill training programs include training in modern technology and innovations like use of drip and sprinkler systems, Drone technology, use of Digital platforms, etc.

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