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in 271 agricultural mandis . Further , Swachhta Action Plan has been prepared in which it was decided to make provision of Rs 10 lakh for each mandi for setting up waste management plants under e-Nam scheme . Agriculture ministry has decided to set up 150 seed hubs in country to increase production of pulses . Each hub produces 1000 quintal of quality seeds which will be provide to farmers .
Erasing the disconnect between farmers and market
The credit flow to the agriculture sector has been increased to 9.0 lakh crore and to reduce the pressure of loan on farmers , Rs 15,000 crore has been allocated for interest subvention . The centre is already providing 5 percent interest subsidy to the banks out of 9 percent being charged by them for agriculture loan . Ministry appealed to the state governments to provide remaining 4 % from their exchequer so that farmers can get agriculture loan at zero percent .
At the same time , Indian government has expressed commitment for the prosperity and welfare of farmers , and for this purpose , it says number of initiatives have been taken during last two and half year . Addressing the Regional Editors Conference in Chandigarh on October 18 , 2016 , the union agriculture and farmers welfare minister , Mr Radha Mohan Singh stated that to ensure better prices for the produce of farmers , government is working in connecting all agriculture mandis with a national platform and by next year all the 585 mandis will be connected to a common single market where farmers would be
able to sell their produce for better price . He said that direct benefits transfer to farmers under various scheme will also be made possible in near future .
Under Soil Health Card scheme , Rs 368.30 crore has been allocated this year compared to Rs 142 crore last year . Besides that an allocation of Rs 5500 crore in the year 2016-17 budget has been made under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana which was are Rs 3,185 crore in the previous budget .
The Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure ( AMI ) scheme , capital investment subsidy at 25 percent of the capital cost for general category beneficiary and at 33.33 percent for special category beneficiary is provided for construction / creation of scientific godowns and other marketing infrastructure in the country . Under AMI scheme ( storage component ) ( erstwhile GBY ), up to June 30 , 2016 , a total of 37371 godown projects have been sanctioned for renovation / construction throughout the country . Further , under Private Entrepreneur Guarantee ( PEG ) Scheme , storage capacity of 134.83 lakh MT has been constructed .
The farmers through cooperatives and youth employment at the local level are being added , as well as through self-help groups of village women work towards selfsufficiency . The central and state governments are working together in this direction rapidly .
Way forward
Experts say that the inclusion of horticulture , pulses and other food crops in the overall focus is happening currently , which is a good step . Oilseeds production has increased even in dry belts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat which too is being appreciated . But at the same time , getting vegetables from small holder farmers to market is missing , cold storages and transportation is not at par with the objectives . Therefore , the role of private players which can even include new startups as well , becomes highly relevant . Both the private and public investments will be required to see the change on ground .
While there can be debate on failures and successes of Indian agriculture system , the fact is that it is important to break shackles from past and move ahead to reclaim the lost glory . The modernization of machinery and right mix of agriculture policy with direct inputs from farmers is mandatory for the success of any scheme . Sustained efforts and participation of all the stakeholders can bring the change we look for .
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BioVoiceNews | November 2016