Following reports of deficient rainfall in some States, the Union Agriculture Ministry is all set to draw a road map to ensure the economy of the farmers’ is not affected at the grassroots level across the country. The Ministry has organised a two-day conference at Vigyan Bhawan, beginning Tuesday, to focus on making available new, improved and certified seeds to the farmers in the States and to chalk out a strategy for sowing of Rabi (winter) crops. The issue of bio-pesticides made of cow dung and cow urine will also be discussed.
According to sources, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh will inaugurate the conference at Vigyan Bhawan. “The conference will also take review of kharif crops and discuss with State Governments on preparedness for the coming rabi season. It will also review the progress of important schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, online agri-market and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY),” sources said.
Sources said falling crop prices and rising debt have led to farmer protests in several States since June is expected to be discussed.”Eight groups will be formed to discuss each of the schemes with State Agriculture officials and stakeholders and see if any improvement needs to be made. The issue on management of drought and drought-proofing of 30 vulnerable districts as well as doubling of farmers’ income will be discussed in the conference. The main rabi crops are wheat, barley, gram, pulses, linseed and mustard,” said the sources.
The Centre is worried a lot after Met Department report that the country has witnessed a six per cent deficient rainfall till September 17 this year. The country gets 782.2 mm rainfall in normal monsoon every year. Currently, it has recorded 738.8 mm rainfall till date.
As many as seven states have received deficient monsoon till date in the country. But the Ministry is hopeful for bumper crops during during Kharif season as crop planting has covered 1,041.17 lakh hectare from June up to September 8, a 0.83 per cent decline from 1,049.87 lakh hectare a year earlier.
Recently, the Agriculture Ministry has released a blueprint to raise crop production, reducing cultivation costs and post-harvest losses, and reform of agriculture markets to double farmer incomes by 2022.
Earlier in August, a panel on doubling farmer incomes set up by the government released a four-volume report which said the central government’s goal is to raise average incomes of agricultural households from Rs96,703 in 2015-16 to Rs193,406 in 2022-23 (measured at 2015-16 prices).