Lok Sabha Question No. 238 (STARRED), answered on 2016-08-02
Subject: Losses Suffered by Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: GAURAV GOGOI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION & FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 238

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2 ND  AUGUST, 2016

## LOSSES SUFFERED BY FARMERS

- *238.      SHRI GAURAV GOGOI:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Union Government is aware that fruit and vegetable growers/ farmers across the country have been suffering due to the vagaries of nature and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to assist the fruit and vegetable growers/ farmers who have suffered during the last two years and the current year; and
- (c) whether the Union Government proposes to put in place a long term mechanism to address the concerns of fruit and vegetable growers/farmers across the country and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè

(SHRI RADHA MOHAN SINGH)

(a) to (c): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 238   DUE FOR REPLY ON 2 ND  AUGUST, 2016.

(a): All  agricultural  crops  including  horticulture  crops  like  fruits  and  vegetables  are susceptible  to  the  vagaries  of  nature  like  floods,  droughts,  heat  &  cold  waves,  frost, hailstorm and cyclones.

(b): The  State  Governments  are primarily responsible for taking necessary relief measures  in  the  wake  of  natural  calamities.    For  undertaking  relief  measures,  funds  are available with the State Government in the form of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). No memoranda has so far been received from any State seeking financial assistance from National  Disaster  Relief  Fund  (NDRF)  in  the  wake  of  hailstorm,  drought  etc.  during  the current  financial  year  i.e.  2016-17.      During  the  financial  year  2015-16,  memoranda  have been received from various States seeking financial assistance under NDRF for drought and hailstorm. Financial assistance have been approved from NDRF  to  the tune of Rs.13,496.57  crores,  details  of  which  are  at  Annexure.    The  State  Governments  were requested to utilize 10% of the fund allocated under all Centrally Sponsored Schemes in a flexible manner so as to meet any contingency requirements arising out of deficient rainfall / aberrant monsoon.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has been launched in the year 2016 to provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of failure of any of the notified crop as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases and to stabilise the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming.  The Government is also taking number of steps to encourage farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices and ensure flow of credit to the agriculture sector.

(c): Under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), interventions such as making available quality planting material, rejuvenation of old and unproductive orchards, promotion of drip irrigation, creation of water resources, protected cultivation, promotion of integrated  nutrient  management,  integrated  pest  management,  organic  farming,  post harvest management and good agricultural practices are some of the long term measures to help farmers combat against vagaries of nature.  Further, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research  (ICAR)  has  intensified  research  on  developing  drought  resistant  varieties  of vegetables  &  fruits  and  production  technologies  to  enhance  the  resilience  of  crops  to weather  vagaries  under  the  project  'National  Innovations  in  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture (NICRA)'.

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED Q.NO.238 FOR 02.08.2016 REGARDING LOSSES SUFFERED BY FARMERS

## STATE-WISE ASSISTANCE APPROVED FROM NDRF BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA TO DROUGHT AFFECTED STATES IN THE YEAR 2015-16

(Rs. in crores)

| Sl. No.   | State          |   Assistance |
|-----------|----------------|--------------|
| 1.        | Karnataka      |      2263.43 |
| 2.        | Chattisgarh    |      1276.25 |
| 3.        | Madhya Pradesh |      2032.68 |
| 4.        | Maharashtra    |      3049.36 |
| 5.        | Odisha         |       815    |
| 6.        | Uttar Pradesh  |      1304.52 |
| 7.        | Telangana      |       791.21 |
| 8.        | Andhra Pradesh |       433.77 |
| 9.        | Jharkhand      |       336.94 |
| 10.       | Rajasthan      |      1193.41 |
| TOTAL     | TOTAL          |     13496.6  |

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