The Government constituted an Inter-ministerial Committee in April, 2016 to examine issues relating to “Doubling of Farmers Income” and recommend strategies to achieve the same. The Committee submitted its Report to the Government in September, 2018 containing the strategy for doubling of farmers’ income by the year 2022.The DFI strategy as recommended by the Committee include seven sources of income growth viz., (i) improvement in crop productivity; (ii) improvement in livestock productivity; (iii) resource use efficiency or savings in the cost of production; (iv) increase in the cropping intensity; (v) diversification towards high value crops; (vi) improvement in real prices received by farmers; and (vii) shift from farm to non-farm occupations. After acceptance of the DFI Committee recommendations, the Government has constituted an ‘Empowered Body’ to review and monitor the progress.
Agriculture being a State subject, the State Governments undertake implementation of programs/schemes for the development of the sector. Government of India supplements the efforts of the State Governments through various schemes/ programs. These schemes/ programs of the Government of India are meant for the welfare of farmers by increasing production, remunerative returns and income support to farmers. A list of initiatives taken by the Government are at Annexure.
The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare is implementing RKVY scheme in the States which provides flexibility to the States for preparing projects for the promotion of more beneficial crops. These projects are approved by the State Level Sanctioning Committee under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary of the State. In addition DAC&FW provides support for the promotion of Commercial Crops like Sugarcane, Cotton, and Jute etc. under NFSM scheme and Horticulture Crops under MIDH to enhance the income of the farmers. Besides a crop diversification programme, as a sub-scheme of RKVY, is being implemented in the States of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh to replace Paddy with alternative crops like Oil Seeds, Pulses, Cotton and Maize etc.
The Government has taken following measures to promote the farming of dates in drought prone area and dry weather area:
- Under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, assistance is provided for establishment of Tissue Culture Lab @ 40% of cost to private sector and 100% of total cost to public sector (cost norms Rs.250.00 lakh/unit) for multiplication of Tissue Culture Plant of Date palm.
- National Horticulture Board provides assistance for Date palm cultivation under the component of Development of Commercial Horticulture on demand driven basis.
- Central Institute for Arid Horticulture (CIAH) under ICAR encourages planting of date palm in dry parts of the country where irrigation facilities are available for successful cultivation of date palm and impart training to farmers on production technologies of date palm, pollination and packaging etc. in selected districts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Tamil Nadu.
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha yesterday.
