Question : Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC)

(a) the details of initiatives taken by the Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) to promote Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO) in the States of the country including Uttar Pradesh and the district-wise number of FPOs especially in Uttar Pradesh;

(b) the funds provided by the SFAC to set up FPOs in Uttar Pradesh especially in Deoria district;

(c) whether the Government has encouraged maximum number of farmers to set up FPOs in large numbers in rural areas for providing better facilities to the farmers;

(d) if so, the reaction of the farmers in this regard; and

(e) the details of the total number of farmers availing the benefit of various agricultural schemes, State-wise including Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh?

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

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(a) & (b): Government of India through Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), a registered society under Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, is promoting Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) by mobilizing the farmers and helping them in registering as companies and providing them with handholding support and training for their sustainability. SFAC has undertaken various FPO promotion programmes in the country such as through Vegetable Initiative for Urban Cluster (VIUC), Mission Organic Value Chain Development (MOVCD), National Food for Security Mission (NFSM), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) etc.. SFAC has promoted 910 FPOs in the country out of which 58 FPOs are from Uttar Pradesh. District wise list of FPOs promoted by SFAC is at Annexure-I. However, SFAC has not promoted FPO in Deoria District.
Rs.15.084 Lakh is provided by SFAC towards the FPO management cost which includes salary of CEO, office rent, registration cost, travel, electricity bill and office furniture etc. of FPO. So far, Rs 396.71 Lakh has been provided by SFAC for setting up and promotion of FPOs in the State of Uttar Pradesh.

(c) & (d) Yes Sir. Government of India has launched a Central Sector Scheme of “Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)” on 29th February, 2020 for providing better facilities to farmers due to economy of scale and better bargain power of FPOs thus improving income of the member farmers. Under this scheme, provision is made for professional handholding support for a period of five years to new FPOs formed. Further, a provision has been made for matching equity grant upto Rs. 2,000 per farmer member of FPO with a limit of Rs. 15.00 lakh per FPO and a credit guarantee facility upto Rs. 2 crore of project loan per FPO from eligible lending institution to ensure institutional credit accessibility to FPOs. Suitable provision for training and skill buildings of the FPOs has also been made. Already more than 2200 FPOs produce clusters have been allocated during 2020-21 for formation of FPOs. Farmers are enthusiastically participating under the scheme for formation of FPOs. The process of registration of FPOs is already initiated.

(e): The details of the State-wise total number of farmers benefitted from major agricultural schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Soil Health Card, National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)- Per Drop More Crop, including that in deoria district of Uttar Pradesh is at Annexure-II.