(a) whether the Government have made any efforts to provide subsidy to the farmers for export of
agricultural produces and to lift the quantitative restrictions thereon;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether any arrangements have been made by the Government for advancing loans to the
farmers;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the value of the agro-based exports made during each of the last three years?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (SHRI HUKUMDEO NARAYAN YADAV)
(a) & (b): As per the WTO Agreement on Agriculture the developing countries are permitted to
provide support to their agricultural exports in terms of reimbursement of cost of marketing including
handling, grading and processing costs and international and internal transport and freight charges.
Government has been reimbursing some of these costs mainly on export of wheat and rice. The
quantitative restrictions on exports of almost all the agricultural commodities except those on some
varieties of seeds (planting material) have been removed.
(c) & (d): The institutional credit system i.e. Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks and
Cooperative Banks make available credit to the farmers for undertaking agricultural operations. The flow
of institutional credit for agriculture and allied activities has increased from Rs.31956 crore in the year
1997-98 to Rs.61942 crore in 2001-02 and is estimated to reach Rs.75000 crore in the year 2002-03.
(e): The export of agricultural products (excluding tea, coffee. Marine, cotton incl. waste and castor
oil) during the last three years is as follows:
Year Exports(value Rs. Lakhs)
2000-2001 1677348.32 2001-2002 1876287.51 2002-2003 2118476.02