New Delhi: Taking some further steps to provide support to the agriculture sector, the Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2021-22 in Parliament today, 9 measures for the agricultural sector under the inclusive growth of aspiring India Announced.
Ownership plan
Sitharaman proposed expansion of the ownership scheme for all the States / Union Territories. Earlier this year, Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the ownership scheme to bring transparency in property ownership in villages. Under the scheme, records of the rights are given to the property owners in the villages. So far, about 1.80 lakh property owners in 1,241 villages have been provided cards.
Aim to increase agricultural credit to Rs 16.5 lakh crore in FY 2022
To provide adequate loans to its farmers, the Finance Minister has set a target of increasing agricultural credit to Rs 16.5 lakh crore in FY 2022. Mrs. Sitharaman said that the government will focus on increasing credit flow for animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries.
33% increase in Rural Infrastructure Development Fund
The Finance Minister announced to increase the allocation for Rural Infrastructure Development Fund from Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore.
Micro Irrigation Fund doubled
Sitharaman proposed to double the micro irrigation fund to Rs 5,000 crore, which was started with an amount of Rs 5,000 crore under NABARD.
Operation Green Plan – 22 perishable products to be included in Topps
To promote value addition and exports to agriculture and allied products, Mrs Sitharaman proposed to expand the scope of ‘Operation Green Scheme’ to include 22 perishable products that are currently tomatoes, onions and potatoes (TOPS) Is applicable to
1,000 mandis will be linked by e-name
The Finance Minister said that about 1.68 crore farmers are registered and trade worth Rs 1.14 lakh crore is being done through e-nam. Keeping in view the transparency and competitiveness established in the agricultural market by e-nam, the Finance Minister proposed to add 1,000 more mandis to e-nam to ensure transparency and competitiveness.
APMC will be given access to Agricultural Infrastructure Fund
The Finance Minister proposed to provide agricultural infrastructure fund to APMC to augment the infrastructure facilities.
Proposed further investment in 5 major fishing centers
Sitharaman proposed a substantial investment in the development of fishing and fishing centers. The Finance Minister said that 5 major fishing centers – Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip, and Petuaghat – will be developed as economic activity centers. Mrs. Sitharaman also proposed to develop fishing centers in her waters and fishing centers in river banks and water areas.
Multi-purpose seagrass park to be set up in Tamil Nadu
Recognizing the potential in kelp farming, the Finance Minister said that this is an emerging area which has the potential to change the lives of people from coastal communities. It will provide massive employment and additional income. To promote the cultivation of kelp, Mrs Sitharaman proposed to develop a multi-purpose seagrass park in Tamil Nadu.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to the welfare of farmers over the past several years, Mrs. Sitharaman said that there has been a rapid increase in the quantity of wheat, rice and pulses from farmers. The Finance Minister said that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) has gone through tremendous changes to ensure the price is at least 1.5 times the production cost for all commodities.
Providing details of the purchase and payment made to farmers over the years, Smt Sitharaman said that in the case of wheat, a total of Rs 33,874 crore was paid to farmers in 2013-14. This was Rs 62,802 crore in the year 2019-20 and further improved in 2020-21 and farmers were paid Rs 75,060 crore. The number of benefited farmers growing wheat increased to 43.46 lakhs in 2020-21 from 35.57 lakhs in 2019-20.
63,928 crore was paid for paddy in 2013-14. This increase was Rs 1,41,930 crore in 2019-20. This further improved to Rs 172,752 crore in the year 2020-21. The number of beneficiary farmers, which was 1.24 crore in 2019-20, reached 1.54 crore in 2020-21. Similarly, in the case of pulses, an amount of Rs 236 crore was paid in 2013-14. It increased to Rs 8,285 crore in 2019-20. Currently it is Rs 10,530 crore in 2020-21. This is a more than 40-fold increase over 2013-14.
The receipts of cotton farmers increased rapidly. It increased from Rs 90 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 25,974 crore (27 January 2021).
Significant increase has been shown in comparison to payment to farmers.
