Lok Sabha Question No. 4103 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-25
Subject: Promoting Organic Farming and Modern Agricultural Techniques
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Dr. Amar Singh, Shri Darshan Singh Choudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4103

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 25 TH  MARCH, 2025

## PROMOTING ORGANIC FARMING AND MODERN AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES

4103.DR. AMAR SINGH: SHRI DARSHAN SINGH CHOUDHARY:

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

- (a) whether the Government is taking any steps to support small and marginal farmers in Fatehgarh Sahib, particularly with respect to MSP, irrigation and crop diversification, if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  there  is  any  plan  to  promote  organic  farming  and  modern  agricultural techniques in the region, if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  the  various  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  make  agriculture  free  from  toxic chemicals; and
- (d) the various steps being taken by the Government to promote crop diversity?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a)  &  (d):  The  Government is taking several steps to  promote agriculture and support farmers across the country including small and marginal farmers in Fatehgarh Sahib with respect to MSP, irrigation and crop diversification. The details are given below.
- (i) Every year, Government fixes Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for 22 mandated agricultural crops for the country as a whole including Punjab, based  on  the recommendations  of Commission  for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP),  after considering  the  views  of  State  Governments  and  Central  Ministries/Departments concerned. The Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced the pre-determined principle to  keep  MSPs  at  levels  of  one  and  half  times  of  the  cost  of  production.  Accordingly, Government had increased MSPs for all mandated Kharif, Rabi and other Commercial crops  with  a  minimum  return  of  50  percent  over  all  India  weighted  average  cost  of production from year 2018-19 onwards.
- (ii) Government is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) in the Country, including Punjab, from the year 2015-16. During 201516 to 2021-22, PDMC implemented as a component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). From the year 2022-23, the scheme is being implemented under the Pradhan  Mantri  Rashtriya Krishi  VikasYojana  (PM-RKVY).    Under  the  scheme, Government provides financial assistance @ 55% for Small and Marginal Farmers and @ 45% for Other Farmers for installation of Drip and Sprinkler systems. Subsidy support to each farmer is up to 5 hectares. The beneficiary is eligible for subsidy again for the same land after the end of seven years for installation of Micro Irrigation. Physical and financial progress under PDMC scheme in the State of Punjab is given in table below:

| Year             |   Central Assistance released ( ₹ in Crore) |   Area covered under Micro Irrigation(in Ha) |
|------------------|---------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| 2015-16          |                                       43    |                                         1799 |
| 2016-17          |                                        1.18 |                                         1950 |
| 2017-18          |                                        0    |                                          600 |
| 2018-19          |                                        9    |                                          507 |
| 2019-20          |                                        0    |                                          942 |
| 2020-21          |                                        0    |                                          742 |
| 2021-22          |                                        0    |                                         3719 |
| 2022-23          |                                        3.75 |                                         3039 |
| 2023-24          |                                        6    |                                         2864 |
| 2024-25 (so far) |                                        5.5  |                                          657 |
| Total            |                                       68.43 |                                        16819 |

(iii) The Crop Diversification Programme (CDP) under Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY) is being implemented in the original Green Revolution States including  Punjab  (19  districts  including  Fatehgarh  Sahib)  to  divert  the  area  of  water intensive paddy crop to alternate crops like pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals, nutri cereals (Shree Anna), cotton and agro forestry. Under Crop Diversification Programme (CDP), the assistance is given through state governments to all category farmers for different interventions,  which  covered  under  CDP,  are  Alternate  Crop  Demonstrations,  Farm Mechanization and Value Addition, Site Specific Activities and Contingency for awareness, training, implementation, monitoring, etc.

(b) & (c): Government is promoting organic farming in the country through the scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), a component of Pradhan Mantri- Rashtriya Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (PM-RKVY)  including  the  State  of  Punjab.  The  PKVY  scheme provides  end-to-end  support  to  organic  farmers  i.e.  from  production  to  processing, certification and marketing in a cluster based approach. The primary focus of the scheme is to form organic clusters in a cluster where preference is given to small and marginal farmers.

Under PKVY scheme, States/UTs are provided financial assistance of ₹ 31,500/ha over  3  years  in  the  organic  clusters,  out  of  which,  ₹15,000/ha  is  provided  directly  to farmers  through  DBT  for  on-farm  and  off-farm  organic  inputs  including  biofertilizers, ₹4,500/ha  for  marketing,  packaging,  branding,  value  addition  etc.,  ₹3,000/ha  for certification and residue analysis and ₹9,000/ha for training and capacity building. One farmer can avail assistance for a maximum 2 ha area.

Government of Punjab has informed that 495.49 ha area has been covered under organic  farming  involving 473 farmers  in  Fatehgarh  Sahib  District  under the  PKVY scheme.

In  order  to  promote  use  of  bio-fertilizers,  the  Indian  Council  of  Agriculture Research(ICAR) has developed improved and efficient strains of bio-fertilizers specific to different  crops  and  soil  types  under  the  Network  project  on  'Soil  Biodiversity-Biofertilizers'. Under this project ICAR has developed improved and efficient strains of biofertilizer  specific  to  different  crops  and  soil  types,  Liquid  Bio-fertilizer  technology  with higher shelf life, bio-fertilizer consortia formulation with two or more bio-fertilizer strains, microbial  enriched  bio-compost  and  Zinc  &  Potassium  Solubilizing  Bio-fertilizers.  The ICAR also imparts training to educate farmers on use of bio-fertilizers.

*****