Lok Sabha Question No. 1608 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-09
Subject: Strengthening Agricultural Growth
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Dr. D Ravi Kumar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1608

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## STRENGTHENING AGRICULTURAL GROWTH

1608.  Dr. D RAVI KUMAR:

Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state;

- (a) whether the Government is aware that India's agriculture sector grew by 3.8% in 2023-24,  while  farmers  continue  to  face  challenges  related  to  input  costs,  market access, and climate variability;
- (b) the steps taken to strengthen schemes such as PM-KISAN; and
- (c) whether the Government proposes new measures to enhance irrigation efficiency, digital extension services, and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) for sustainable agricultural growth?

## ANSWER

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

- (a): During 2023-24, as per the First Revised Estimates (FRE) of GVA at Basic Prices 201112, the GVA of agriculture sector is estimated at Rs. 23,67,287 Crore registering a growth of 2.7% and during 2024-25, the GVA of agriculture sector is estimated at Rs. 24,76,805 Crore registering a growth of 4.6% as per the provisional estimates of GVA at Basic Prices 2011-12. In addition to this, the total foodgrain production in the country during 2024-25 is estimated at  a  record 3577.32  LMT  which  is  higher  by 7.65%  i.e. 254.34  LMT  than  the production of foodgrain of 3322.98 LMT achieved during 2023-24.

Further, in order to help the farmers facing challenges related to rising input costs related to seeds, labour wages, pesticides, and fertilizers, The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is implementing various central sector and centrally sponsored schemes, which  are  annexed.  To  improve  the  market  access,  the  Government  is  implementing National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) with the aim to enhance opportunities for farmers and traders by enabling them to access a transparent and competitive digital trading platform that connects markets across India.

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) is being implemented by the Government which aims to evolve, and implement strategies to make Indian agriculture more resilient to the changing climate.

Further, Indian Council of Agricultural Research  (ICAR)  is focusing on the development of high-yielding climate resilient and nutritionally rich field-crop varieties along with  the  location  specific  production  and  protection  technologies.  Developed  improved varieties, production and protection technologies are being disseminated among farmers for large-scale  adoption  through  outreach  activities  viz.,  training/sensitization  programmes during the crop season, on-farm trials & frontline demonstrations, diagnostic field visits and field friends programmes as well as through social media platforms.

(b): The PM-KISAN scheme is a central sector scheme launched in February 2019 by the Hon'ble Prime Minister to supplement the financial needs of farmers with cultivable landholding. Under the scheme, a financial benefit of ₹ 6,000/- per year is transferred in three equal instalments, into the Aadhaar seeded bank accounts of farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer  (DBT)  mode.  Under  the  PM-KISAN  Scheme,  cultivable  landholding  is  primary eligibility criteria to receive benefit of the Scheme subject to some certain exclusions relating to higher income status.

To ensure transparency and efficient implementation, several technological measures have been introduced, including integration with PFMS, UIDAI, and the Income Tax Department. Further, land seeding, Aadhaar-based payments, and e-KYC have been made mandatory to ensure benefits reach only to the eligible farmers.

Moreover, in order to expand coverage and to ensure that no eligible farmers are left out  from  the  Scheme,  the  Government  of  India  often  undertakes  saturation  drives  in coordination  with  the  State  Governments.  A  major  nationwide  saturation  drive  was undertaken from 15th November 2023 under the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra (VBSY), during which, more than 1.0 Cr. farmers were included under PM-KISAN. Further, under the new Government's 100 days initiative, over 25 lakh eligible farmers were added under the PMKISAN scheme. Additionally, a special drive was conducted in September 2024 to clear the pending self-registration cases, which resulted in the addition of over 30 lakh new farmers.

(c): The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) in the Country from 2015-16. PDMC focuses on enhancing Water Use Efficiency (WUE) at farm level through Micro Irrigation namely Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation Systems. From the year 2015-16 to 2021-22, the PDMC was implemented as a component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). From the year 2022-23, the PDMC is being implemented under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). Under the PDMC, the Government provides financial assistance @ 55% for  small and marginal farmers and @ 45% for other farmers for installation of Drip and Sprinkler systems

The Cabinet has approved Modernization of Command Area Development and Water Management (M-CADWM) as a sub-scheme of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti on 09.04.2025. The scheme aims for modernization of the irrigation water supply network to supply irrigation water from existing distributary canals or other water sources in a designated cluster. It is envisaged to facilitate the  creation  of  backend  infrastructure  supporting  micro-irrigation  from  established  water sources up to the farm gate (up to about 1 Ha). The scheme envisages to enhance 'On Farm Water  Use  Efficiency  (WUE)'  by  providing  pressurized  pipe  irrigation  network  and encouraging the farmers to adopt drip/ sprinkler systems for efficient use of water. The MCADWM pilot implementation covers 23 States/UTs.

The Government of India is implementing the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) to promote  precision  farming,  satellite-based  crop  monitoring,  and  AI-driven  advisories  for improving productivity and resource efficiency. The Mission focuses on building a strong Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture, including  AgriStack,  the Krishi Decision Support System, and comprehensive soil profile mapping. AgriStack comprises foundational  databases  such  as  Farmers'  Registry,  Geo-referenced  Village  Maps,  and Crop  Sown  Registry,  enabling  timely  and  reliable  crop-related  information  for  farmers. The Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) supports the Mission through satellite-based crop  forecasting under  the  FASAL  project,  drought  monitoring,  and technological support to PMFBY through YES-TECH and digital crop-cutting experiments. The  Government is also promoting AI and IoT-based solutions for personalized  advisories  and  improved  farm  management.  Key  initiatives  include  the  AIpowered  Kisan  e-Mitra  chatbot  for  farmer  queries  and  the  National  Pest  Surveillance System, which uses AI/ML tools to detect pest infestations and reduce crop losses.

The  Government  is  implementing  a  Central  Sector  Scheme  for  'Formation  and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)'. Under this scheme, 10,000 FPOs have been registered across the country. Under the scheme, FPO management cost of Rs.18 lakh over 3 years, is available to each FPO. FPO can also avail matching equity grant of upto Rs.15 lakh per FPO (as against Rs.2000 contribution per farmer). Additionally, the  scheme  provides  for  credit  guarantee  facility  upto  Rs.2  crore,  from  eligible  lending institutions.

Major schemes/ programmes of Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

1. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
2. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY)
3.  Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)/ Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS)
4. Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS)
5. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
6.  Formation  and  Promotion  of  10,000  new  Farmer  Producers  Organizations (FPOs)
7. National Bee Keeping and Honey Mission (NBHM)
8. Namo Drone Didi
9. National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)
10. Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA)
11. Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises' (AgriSURE)
12. Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)
13. Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM)
14. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
15. Soil Health & Fertility (SH&F)
16. Rainfed Area Development (RAD)
17. Agroforestry
18. Crop Diversification Programme (CDP)
19. Sub-Mission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE)
20. Sub-Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP)
21. National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM)
22. Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing (ISAM)
23. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
24. National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oil Palm
25. National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oilseeds
26. Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region
27. Digital Agriculture Mission
28. National Bamboo Mission

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