(a) whether it is a fact that the Government has taken several measures like electronic National Agriculture Market and soil testing labs in the last four and a half years;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether it is also true that it is possible to increase farmers’ income by focusing on allied farm activities like poultry and fishery; and
(d) if so, the steps taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
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(a) & (b): Yes Madam. The Government has taken several measures in the last four and a half years like National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) and soil testing labs which are as under:
(i) The Government has implemented National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) scheme for transparent price discovery for remunerative prices for the farmers for their produce through competitive online bidding system. So far, 585 wholesale regulated markets of 16 States and 02 UTs have been integrated with e-NAM platform.
(ii) Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme by which the farmers can know the major and minor nutrients available in their soils which will ensure judicious use of fertiliser application and reduce cost of inputs and improve soil fertility. Total 10825 soil testing labs have been sanctioned to the states/implementing agencies.
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(iii) In order to provide better marketing facilities to the farmers, the Government has released a new model “The Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2017” in April 2017 for its adoption by States/Union Territories (UTs). The provisions therein provides for alternative marketing channels such as setting up of private markets, direct marketing, farmer-consumer markets, special commodity markets, declaring warehouses/silos/cold storages or such structures as market sub yards to facilitate farmers in marketing their produce at competitive & remunerative prices.
(iv) In order to optimise the use of scarce resources and mitigate the uncertainty in price and marketing, the Government has formulated and released a progressive and facilitative Model Act “The ----State/ UT Agricultural Produce & Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2018” in May, 2018 for its adoption by the states/Union Territories (UTs). The aforesaid Model Contract Farming Act covers the entire value and supply chain from pre-production to post harvest marketing including services contract for the agricultural produce and livestock.
(v) As per Union Budget Announcement, 2018-19, Government has decided to develop and upgrade existing 22,000 rural haats into Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs). In these GrAMs, physical infrastructure will be strengthened using Government Schemes such as MGNREGA (Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). These GrAMs are to be exempted from regulations of Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMCs) and linked to e-NAM to provide farmers facility to make direct sale to consumers and bulk consumers.
(vi) Neem Coated Urea is being promoted to regulate use of urea, enhance its availability to the crop and reduce cost of fertilizer application. The entire quantity of domestically manufactured and imported urea is now neem coated.
(vii) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is being implemented with a view to promote organic farming in the country. This will improve soil health and organic matter content and increase net income of the farmer so as to realise premium prices.
(viii) The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) is being implemented to expand cultivated area with assured irrigation, reduce wastage of water and improve water use efficiency.
(ix) Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is available to the farmers at low rates of premium. This scheme would provide insurance cover for all stages of the crop cycle including post-harvest risks in specified instances.
(x) Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) enable Governments to further implement the scheme in the State as per its requirement including for increasing production and productivity in the State.
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(xi) Under National Food Security Mission (NFSM), a Centrally Sponsored scheme, assistance is provided to farmers for distribution of Seeds (HYVs/Hybrids), production of seeds (only in pulses), INM and IPM techniques, resource conservation technologies/tools/farm mechanization, efficient water application tools, cropping system based trainings to farmers and also assistance for value addition.
(xii) National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) programme, is being implemented since 2014-15. The objective of NMOOP is to increase production and productivity of oilseeds for meeting the domestic requirement of vegetable oil. The various interventions of this mission are implemented through the State Department of Agriculture/Horticulture.
(xiii) Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, is being implemented w.e.f. 2014-15, for holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetable, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.
(c) & (d): Yes Madam. It is true that it is possible to increase farmers’ income by focusing on allied farm activities like poultry and fishery. Government has taken multiple initiatives in allied farm activities such as in poultry and fisheries etc. to increase farmers’ income.
For development of Poultry sector, Government has initiated different programmes under National Livestock Mission (NLM) schemes like Rural Backyard Poultry Development (RBPD) and Innovative Poultry Productivity Project (IPPP) programmes to encourage farmers to take up poultry activities in small scale to enhance income of farmers. Besides Entrepreneurship Development and Employment generation (EDEG), it also aims to encourage entrepreneurship in various poultry activities.
For development of Fisheries, the Government has prepared an Integrated National Action Plan (INAP) on development of fisheries focusing mainly on optimal and sustainable utilization of various fisheries / water resources such as ponds, tanks, wetlands lakes and others. Also promotion of mariculture has been focused under INAP. Further to provide infrastructural needs in the sector, proposal for setting up of Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FAIDF) with a total outlay of Rs.7522.48 crore has been approved and the guidelines circulated to States/UTs and other Stake holders for implementation. For development of Dairying activities and making it more remunerative to the farmers, the Government is implementing schemes like Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (DEDS), National Dairy Plan-I (NDP-I), National programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) and Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF).
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