Question : Income Security for Farmers

(a) whether the Government has set a roadmap or a ‘four-pronged strategy’ for doubling the farmers’ income by 2022;

(b) if so, whether the NITI Aayog has proposed a pilot project in this regard, if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government in this regard;

(c) whether the Government is considering to fix the Minimum Support Price for all the agricultural produce to ensure income security for the farmers and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the allocation made by the Government to agriculture sector during the last five-years period and the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

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(a) & (b): The Government has set a target of doubling of farmers’ income by the year 2022. The Government has constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee under the Chairmanship of Chief Executive Officer, National Rainfed Area Authority, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare to examine issues relating to doubling of farmers’ income and recommend a strategy to achieve doubling of farmers’ income in real terms by the year 2022.

At present, thirteen draft volumes of ‘Strategy for Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022’ prepared by the Committee have been uploaded on the website of this Department (http://agricoop.nic.in/doubling-farmers) for seeking public opinion.
During the National Conference on “Agriculture-2022 – Doubling Farmers’ Income,” Hon’ble PM has mentioned four aspects for improving the income of farmers, viz; reducing input cost; ensuring a fair price for the produce; reducing wastage; and creating alternate sources of income.
Further, NITI Aayog has constituted a Task Force for demonstrating doubling of farmers income through new business models and relieving farmers’ distress.
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(c): Government announces minimum support prices (MSPs) for 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane on the basis of recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP), after considering the views of State Governments and Central Ministries/Departments concerned and other relevant factors. The mandated crops are 14 crops of the kharif season viz. paddy, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, arhar, moong, urad, groundnut-in-shell, soyabean, sunflower, sesamum, nigerseed and cotton; 6 rabi crops viz. wheat, barley, gram, masur(lentil), rapeseed/mustard and safflower and two other commercial crops viz. jute and copra. In addition, the MSPs of toria and de-husked coconut are fixed on the basis of the MSPs of rapeseed/mustard and copra, respectively.

Government has announced its historic decision to fix MSP at a level of at least 150 per cent of the cost of production for kharif crops 2018-19 which redeems the promise made in the Union Budget for 2018-19. The MSP declared during 2012-13 to 2018-19 for various crops is at Annexure.
(d): Year-wise details of Budget Estimates of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare during the last five years are as follow;
Year Budget Estimates (Rs. in crore )
2014-15 31542.95
2015-16 25460.51
2016-17 45035.20
2017-18 51576.00
2018-19 58080.00
Total 211694.66