Farm policy

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare undertakes a slew of measures to improve yields and protect support prices

The National Farmers Commission was constituted in February 2004. After that, the national policy for farmers was approved on the basis of the Commission’s recommendations in the country, which aimed at improving the economic condition of the agricultural sector as well as the net income of the farmers.

• Model Agricultural land leasing Act, 2016 issued to states, which is a very important step in terms of agricultural reforms through which not only the needs of landlords but the needs of the lease holders are also taken care of. Through this act, land holders can legally lease the land with mutual consent for agriculture and allied sectors.
• In April 2016, a new entrance process for revolutionizing agricultural markets started by introducing transparency and competition, by ensuring better value search under national agricultural market scheme (e-NAM).
• Agricultural Produce and livestock Marketing (Promotion and Simplification) Act, 2017 has been released on April 24, 2017 for adoption by the States/UTs. Which comprises of e-business, the announcement of warehouses, silos, cold storage in the form of sub-yard, rationalization of mandis duty and commission charges and improvements in private sector.
• In 2018, an amount of two thousand crores rupees has also been proposed through NABARD for the development of 22,000 rural agricultural markets in the country. It is clear here that in relation to the National Agricultural Market, the implementation of the suggestion given after the year 2004 was also done within these 4 years.
• Government has revised them after a detailed study of old schemes and has started the world’s largest farmer friendly crop insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme. By 2019-20, 50 per cent of the gross cropped area is to be covered.
• nEnhanced substantial increase in the adoption of micro irrigation has been recorded. Compound annual growth rate of micro irrigation (MI) coverage is 15 per cent. During the year 2017-18, about 9.26 lakh hectare area has been brought under MI, which is the maximum coverage so far received in a calendar year. The target is to cover 1.5 to 2 million hectare per year by year 2022-23. In addition to the increase in budgetary allocation, a corpus fund of Rs 5,000 crore has also been set up.
• National Agro-Forestry Policy has been prepared for increasing the income of farmers and for achieving climate support. During the year 2016-17, a special scheme “Agriculture Forestry Sub-mission” was started and operated with the aim of “Har Medh Par Pedh”. Exemption in transit regulations for assistance under the Agriculture Forestry Sub-Mission is a pre-requisite. 21 states (8 states in year 2016-17 and 12 states in the year 2017-18) have given exemption to this regulation and all the states are being motivated in this direction.
• The reconstituted National Bamboo Mission-National Bamboo Mission (NBM) was initially started as a centrally sponsored scheme in the year 2006-07 and brought it under the Integrated Horticulture Development Mission (MIDH) during the year 2014-15. And was continued till the year 2015-16.
• This scheme is mainly limited to the cultivation and promotion of bamboo due to limited weather and purification units and bamboo market. The main drawbacks of this scheme were lack of contact between producers (farmers) and industries.
• The Indian Forest Act, 1927 was amended last year, from which the bamboo sown outside the forest area has been removed from the definition of trees and the implementation of National Bamboo Mission reorganized with the outlay of Rs 1290 crore is also being done.
• Government has started the largest Universal Soil Health Card scheme in the world to provide information on the fertility of the land to the farmers on the basis of tested soil samples according to 12 parameters.

A study shows that due to the recommendations of the Soil Health Card, due to the application of fertilizer and micro nutrients, a decrease of chemical fertilizer application has been found ranging from 8 to 10 per cent and the total crop production has increased by 5-6 per cent.