With predictions on monsoon indicating a shortage in rainfall this year, the Government on Wednesday said that it is putting in place a contingency plan to tackle any drought-like situation.
Speaking at a Press conference to list out the achievements of the NDA Government, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said efforts are on to minimise damage to agriculture and the economy if monsoons disappoint this year. He maintained that the Government has a contingency plan ready for 580 districts, and he is in touch with various State Governments and agriculture research bodies to tackle the situation.
Monsoon is the season for paddy crops. Unseasonal rains in March have also destroyed quite a big quantum of wheat. Already, Maharashtra is thinking about cloud seeding for artificial rains in case of a drought.
However, Singh said he has sufficient quantity of foodgrains in stock and there is no need to panic. To contain prices of pulses, the Agriculture Ministry has asked all State Governments about their requirement for dals this season. The Government is also mulling improving domestic supplies through imports.
“2013-14 was golden period for agriculture. But when we came to power, a drought-like situation stared us. Everyone was tense. But our Ministry worked hard to minimise the damage. There were losses in production but they were not that huge. This time, we will face the situation based on our earlier experience,” said Singh.
When asked if bad days are ahead for farmers, the Minister said, “Good and bad days can be both man-made and nature-created. Ever since our Government came to power, the man-made bad days have ended and good days have begun. Since Indian agriculture is dependent on rainfall, we cannot prevent natural disasters but we can minimise its impact and damage through a better contingency plan.” These include using special seeds that can survive in less water.
Singh also said that the Government is planning to bring a new crop insurance policy by the end of year to protect farmers’ income. “The existing crop insurance scheme has not proved beneficial to farmers. So, we are working on a new policy. We are taking views from State Governments and experts on the matter. We will definitely bring the policy by the end of this year,” he added.
On farmers’ suicide, Singh said that no concrete steps were taken by the previous Government in the last 10 years for the farmers. “We are facing challenges because of the bad policies of the previous Government,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister also tried to dispel doubts surrounding amendments in the land Acquisition Bill and asserted that not an inch of land will be given to private players. Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi’s Rssuit-boot ki sarkar’, Singh said Congress has given farm land at throwaway price to relatives and “suited booted” people, clearing pointing fingers at Robert Vadra’s land deals in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.