Lok Sabha Question No. 1507 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-12
Subject: Women Agri Entrepreneurs
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Rodmal Nagar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1507

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 th December, 2023

## WOMEN AGRI ENTREPRENEURS

1507.  SHRI RODMAL NAGAR :

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

(a)  the  details  of  the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  promote  women farmers/agriculture entrepreneurs in various States including Uttar Pradesh; and

(b) the details of steps being taken by the Government to provide training/subsidy/loans to  women  agriculture  entrepreneurs  for  setting  up  of  Custom  Hiring  Centres  for agriculture equipment and drone devices etc.?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी (SHRI ARJUN MUNDA)

(a): The Government is implementing various schemes and programmes for the farmers and agripreneurs including women farmers and agripreneurs as per the eligibility and conditions existing in the scheme guidelines in the States including Uttar Pradesh. The guidelines of the various beneficiary oriented schemes of the Department of Agriculture &  Farmers Welfare  (DA&FW),  Ministry  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  provide  that States and other implementing agencies should incur expenditure on women farmers. These schemes include Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms (ATMA),  National  Food  Security  Mission  (NFSM),  National  Mission  on  Oilseed  &  Oil Palm  (NMOOP),  Sub-Mission  on  Agricultural  Mechanization  (SMAM)  and  Mission  for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).

The Central Sector Scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is being implemented by DA&FW with the aim of providing financial assistance to landholding farmer families including women farmers across the country, subject to certain exclusion criteria.

Ministry  of  Rural  Development  (MoRD)  is  implementing  Mahila  Kisan  Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), a sub-component of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods  Mission  (DAY-NRLM)  with  the  aim  to  empower  women  by  making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity, as also to create sustainable livelihoods of rural women. It is a demand driven programme implemented in  project  mode  through  the  State  Rural  Livelihoods  Mission  (SRLM)  as  Project Implementing Agencies. The mission has also taken up several measures to encourage women to take up agricultural enterprises for enhancing their income across the country including the states of Uttar Pradesh. The large size producer enterprises and producer groups  are  being  promoted  to  provide  encouragement  to  women  entrepreneurs  for value addition of agriculture commodities.

The  Central  Institute  for  Women  in  Agriculture  (CIWA),  Bhubaneswar  under  Indian Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR),  New  Delhi  is  working  with  the  mandate  to undertake research on gender issues in agriculture and allied fields, through its All India Coordinated Research Project Centers (AICRP) in India.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has established 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras  (KVKs)  in  the  country  including  89  in  Uttar  Pradesh  with  mandate  of Technology Assessment and Demonstration for its Application and Capacity Building. KVKs organize training programs for the benefit of farmers and farm women, rural youth and extension personnel and organize women specific activities on various topics.

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is implementing 'Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development' programme under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) from 2018-19 with an objective to promote innovation and agripreneurship by providing financial support and nurturing the  incubation  ecosystem  in  the  country  including  the  States  of  Uttar  Pradesh.  The Ministry has  appointed  five  Knowledge  Partners  (KPs)  as  Centres  of  Excellence  and twenty four RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs) from across the country for  implementation  of  this  programme.  Potential  women  startups/entrepreneurs  can avail benefit from the programme.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund is a scheme launched in 2020 for providing medium to long  term  loan  to  eligible  beneficiaries  including  women  farmers  for  eligible  projects. The scheme envisages provision of Rs. 1 Lakh Crore by banks and financial institutions as loans with interest subvention (IS) of 3% per annum and credit guarantee coverage under  Credit  Guarantee  Fund  Trust  for  Micro  and  Small  Enterprises  (CGTMSE)  for loans up to Rs. 2 Crores.

(b):  Sub  Mission  on  Agricultural  Mechanization  (SMAM)  implemented  under  the umbrella  of   Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (RKVY) aims   at  'reaching  the  unreached'  by  bringing  to  the   small  and  marginal  farmers including women farmers in the core and giving the benefits of  farm mechanization, by Promoting 'Custom Hiring Centers (CHC)' , creating hubs for hi-tech & high value farm equipments, distribution of various agricultural equipments, creating awareness among stakeholders  through  demonstration  and  capacity  building  activities,  and  ensuring performance testing and certification at designated testing centers located all over the country.

The Government has established four numbers of Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes  (FMTTI)  at  Budni  (Madhya  Pradesh),  Hisar  (Haryana),  Anantapur  (Andhra Pradesh) and Biswanath Chariali (Assam) under the administrative control of Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. These institutes are imparting training to Farmers including Women Farmers/Technicians/Engineers/Unemployed Youths/Machinery  Manufacturers,  etc.  under  various  training  programmes  on  latest technology of farm mechanization.

For establishment of Custom Hiring Center (CHC) of various agricultural machinery and equipments including Drone, financial assistance @ 40% of the project cost is provided to  Rural  Entrepreneurs  (Rural  youth  and farmer  as  an entrepreneur  including  women farmer), Cooperative Societies of farmers, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Panchayats. The project cost of CHCs can be up to Rs. 60 lakhs and that of Hi-tech hubs can be up to Rs. 250 lakhs. Financial assistance @ 80% to Cooperative Societies, FPOs,  Self  Help  Groups  (SHGs)  and  Panchayats  is  also  provided  to  set  up  Farm Machinery  Banks  of  project  cost  up  to  Rs.  10  lakhs  in  identified  villages  in  low mechanized States.

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