Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Monday said good monsoon for two consecutive years coupled with farmer-friendly policies and decisions of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who believed in sadabahar kranti (evergreen revolution), is going to result into the highest-ever production of foodgrain in the country this year.
The Minister further stated that loan waiver alone won’t help the farmers and Agriculture Ministry has no such proposal. He was briefing the media on the three-year achievements of the BJP-led NDA Government. He said the Prime Minister wanted to move towards allied sectors to increase the viability of the agriculture sector.
Singh also said that total foodgrain production was estimated to be 273.38 million tonnes this year, which is 8.67 per cent higher than 2015-16. “Our Government has taken several initiatives and implemented schemes for the welfare of farmers since we came to power in 2014. last year, actual rainfall was close to the prediction of the meteorological department. This year as well, the department has forecast normal monsoon,” Singh said in a media briefing about achievements of his Ministry in last three years.
Expressing hope of a normal monsoon this year, Singh said: “The (Southwest) monsoon has already arrived in Andaman and Nicobar islands and it is expected to come 3-4 days early in Kerala.” He also noted the growth rate in agriculture and allied sector was about 4.4 per cent.
The production of pulses during 2016-17 was expected to be 22.40 million tonnes, which is 37 per cent higher than that in 2015-16, he said. Citing the achievements of his ministry, Singh said about 2.25 crore farmers were given soil health cards, which help them in deciding the amount of fertiliser to be used and manage crop cultivation effectively. “In next three months, all farmers will be given soil health cards,” he said.
“Total budget during the UPA Government’s four years — 2010 to 2014 — was Rs 1,04,337 crore while our NDA Government has allocated Rs 1,64,415 crore for four years, from 2014-18,” Singh said. Comparing the UPA’s last three years with the three years of NDA Government, he said milk production increased by 16.9 per cent, egg production by 17.92 per cent, and fish production by 20.1 per cent.
“Till May 15, trading of 84 lakh tones of agri produce worth Rs 20,000 crores has been done. Till 15.05.2017, 46 lakh farmers, 90,000 traders and 46,411 Commission Agents has been registered on the portal. States were sanctioned Rs 33,580 crore from State Disaster Relief Fund during 5 years of UPA Government. Whereas, Narendra Modi Government has allocated Rs 61,620 crore for 5 years,” he said.
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna has increased the number of non-lonee farmers by 238.
In the last three years, the number of non-lonee farmers increased by 128. 50 per cent in Rabi crops compared to the preceding three years. He said under the national agriculture insurance scheme, six crore farmers have got insurance for the Kharif season during three years of 2011-14.