Lok Sabha Question No. 636 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-03
Subject: Financial Assistance to Farmers in Kerala
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri N K Premachandran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS' WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS' WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 636

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 03 RD  FEBRUARY, 2026

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## FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS IN KERALA

636. SHRI N K PREMACHANDRAN: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS' WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state: (a)  whether  the  Union  Government  analysed  impact  of  climate  change  and  natural disasters agricultural sector in Kerala, if so the details thereof and action taken to resolve the same; (b) whether the Government proposes to formulate a master plan for resolving the issues of farmers in Kerala, If so the details thereof; (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  ensure  Minimum  Support  Price  for  paddy, coconut and other major crops produced in Kerala, If so the details thereof; (d) whether the Union Government proposes to provide special assistance to Kerala for establishing a strong marketing network so as to avoid the exploitation by middle man, If so the details thereof; and (e)  whether the Government proposes to provide sufficient financial assistance to farmers in Kerala, If so the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी (SHRI  RAMNATH THAKUR) (a) & (b):   Government supports nationwide climate-resilience programmes in agriculture, implemented in collaboration with State Governments including the State of Kerala. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is implementing a project- National Innovations in Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA)  that  studies  the  impact  of  climate  change  on agriculture, conducts district level risk and vulnerability assessment of agriculture to future climate change. Risk and vulnerability assessment of agriculture to climate change has been  carried  out  at  district-level  for  651  predominantly  agricultural  districts  as  per Intergovernmental  Panel  on  Climate  Change  (IPCC)  protocols.  Out  of  310  districts identified  as  vulnerable,  109  districts  have  been  categorized  as  'very  high'  in  terms  of climate vulnerability out of which 8 Districts are in the State of Kerala. District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) for these 651 districts have also been prepared to address weather  aberrations  and  recommending  location  specific  climate  resilient  crops  and varieties  and  management  practices  for  use  by  the  State  Departments  of  Agriculture. Under NICRA, for enhancing the resilience and adaptive capacity of farmers to climate variability, location-specific climate resilient technologies such as system  of rice intensification,  aerobic  rice,  direct  seeding  of  rice,  zero  till  wheat  sowing,  cultivation  of climate resilient varieties tolerant to extreme weather conditions such as drought and heat; in-situ incorporation of rice residues etc. have been demonstrated through KVKs in 448 model Climate Resilient Villages out of which 11 villages are in Kerala.

Considering  the  challenge  pose  by climate  change  in agriculture,  several schemes have been initiated under National Mission  on Sustainable Agriculture to deal  with the adverse  climate  situations  in  the  agriculture  sector.  Per  Drop  More  Crop  scheme  was launched during 2015-16 to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation technologies i.e. drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. Rainfed Area Development scheme is being implemented to promote Integrated Farming System (IFS) for enhancing productivity and minimizing risks associated with climatic variability. The Soil Health Card (SHC)  /  Soil  Health  Management  (SHM)  scheme  is  implemented  to  assist  states  in promoting Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) through judicious use of fertilizers. The Government  is  promoting  organic  farming  in  the  country  since  2015-16  through  the schemes  of  Paramparagat  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (PKVY)  and  natural  farming  through National Mission on Natural Farming. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH),  Agroforestry  &  National  Bamboo  Mission  also  promote  climate  resilience  in agriculture. Further, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana along with weather index based Restructured  Weather  Based  Crop  Insurance  Scheme  provides  a  comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crops.

(c):     Government fixes Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for twenty-two (22) mandated crops, for the country as a whole and not region specific, based on the recommendations of the  Commission  for  Agricultural  Costs  &  Prices  (CACP)  after  considering  the  views  of concerned  State  Governments  and  Central  Ministries/Departments.  The  22  mandated crops include 14 Kharif crops viz. paddy, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, tur (arhar), moong, urad, groundnut, soyabean, sunflower, sesamum, nigerseed, cotton and 6 Rabi crops viz. wheat, barley, gram, masur (lentil), rapeseed & mustard, safflower and two commercial crops viz. jute and copra.

(d)  &  (e):  The  Union  Government  has  taken  several  steps  to  strengthen  agricultural marketing systems and provide financial support to farmers, including those in Kerala. The Government is implementing Electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), which is a pan-India  electronic  trading  portal  that  networks  existing  Agricultural  Produce  Market Committees (APMCs) to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities. eNAM is a virtual market platform with a physical market infrastructure at the backend. At present, 247 agricultural commodities are available for trading on the e-NAM platform. As on date, six (6) mandis in Kerala have been on boarded on e-NAM portal (Annexure-I). eNAM platform enables farmers to directly sell their produce to buyers, thereby reducing the role of middlemen and ensuring better price discovery and transparency. It provides farmers  access  to  wider  markets,  real-time  price  information,  and  electronic  payment systems, ensuring timely and secure payments. Further, facilities such as quality assaying, competitive online bidding, and market intelligence under e-NAM empower farmers to take informed decisions and maximize their returns. The e-NAM application is available both through web and mobile platforms, and tutorial videos are also available on social media to facilitate ease of use.Through e-NAM, farmers can obtain information about nearby eNAM mandis within a 100 km radius, along with route maps and prevailing prices, enabling them to choose the most suitable market for selling their produce.

Further, to ensure access to markets and improving their market linkages, 176 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) have also been formed in Kerala facilitating farmers to sell their produce at fair price through these FPOs. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare conducts weekly webinar facilitating direct interaction between FPOs and large institutional buyers  for  exploring  business  opportunities.  FPOs  also  market  their  produce  online through the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform, enabling wider market access and better price realization for farmers

Annexure - I

| List of e-NAM Mandi's; State of Kerala   | List of e-NAM Mandi's; State of Kerala   | List of e-NAM Mandi's; State of Kerala   |
|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| S. No                                    | Date of Integration                      | Mandi (as per Mandi Board)               |
| 1                                        | 07-05-2020                               | Arwm Muvattupuzha                        |
| 2                                        | 07-05-2020                               | Arwm Nedumangad                          |
| 3                                        | 08-05-2020                               | Arwm Sultan Barthery                     |
| 4                                        | 07-05-2020                               | Auwm Anayara                             |
| 5                                        | 08-05-2020                               | Auwm Maradu                              |
| 6                                        | 12-05-2020                               | Auwm Vengeri                             |

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