The Government has been reorienting the agriculture sector by focussing on an income centeredness which goes beyond achieving merely the targeted production. The income approach focuses on achieving higherproductivity reducing cost of cultivation and renumerative price on the produce, with a view to earn higher profits for farming. Further these initiatives are supported by a big jump in much needed budgetary allocations for agriculture sectors. The Doubling Farmers Income Committee has had the farmers income into its core deliberations and incorporated it as the fulcrum of its strategy.At present the government is implementing various schemes and adopting policy measures to synchronize with higher gains for farmers:
1. For Higher Production Through Productivity Gains
• National Food Security Mission(NFSM) for cereals, pulses, oilseeds,nutrirch cereals and commercial crops
• Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for higher growth rate of horticulture crops
• National Mission for oilseds and oilpalm (NMOOP) launched in 2014-15 for increasing production of oilseeds and oilpalm
2. For Reduction In Cost Of Cultivation
• Soil Health Card (SHC) to ensure judicious and optimal use of fertilizer application
• Neem Coated Urea (NCU) is being promoted to regulate use of urea
• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna (PMKSY)- micro irrigation component with a motto of ‘Har Khet Ko Paani’
3. For Providing Assistance To Small, Marginal Farmers
• PM Kissan Scheme with an aim to provide assistance to small and marginal farmers with an amount of Rs 6000/year
• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojna (PM-KMY) has been launched which provides for a payment of minimum pension of Rs3000/month.
A farmer’s income comes from a variety of sources beyond just farming. These include related activities like dairy, livestock, poultry, and fishing, as well as supplementary activities like beekeeping and mushroom cultivation. Farmers can also earn money from off-farm work or as wage laborers. Despite significant challenges, Indian agriculture has made great strides. The future of agriculture will require a combined focus on both production and marketing, rather than treating them as separate steps.
4. To Ensure Remunerative Prices
• National Agricultural Market Scheme (e-NAM) is an innovation market process to revolutionize agri-markets with the motto of ‘One Nation One market’
• Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) has been onboarded on e-Nam portal and they have started uploading their produce for trading from their premises
• MSP is notified by governement for cerain crops periodically giving a major boost to farrners income
5. For Risk Managenent, Sustainable Practices
• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWICS) provides insurance cover at all stagesof crop cycles including post harvest risks
• Paramparagat Krishi VikasYojna (PKVY) is being implemented witha view to promote organic farmimg in the country
6. Allied Activities
• ‘Har med par ped’ launched during 2016-17 to encourage tree plantation on farmland along with crops
• National Bamboo Mission has been announced for holistic development
A farmer’s income is a basket of earning from agriculture allied activities like diary, livestock, poultry, fishery etc and ancillary activities like bee-keeping, mushroom cultivation so on and so forth. Apart from these activities he also earns from other activities like wage labour, off-farm activiies. Now withstanding the many faces of challenges, Indian agriculture has demonstrated remarkable progress. Hence-forth both production and marketing shall move forward together hand in hand, unlike in past when their role was thought to be sequential.
(The author an agriculture scientist is a freelancer. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
