FM unveils 11-point action plan to give farmers relief

■ Agri infrastructure to be built up, fishermen to get help

In the third tranche of its Covid-19 stimulus programme, the Narendra Modi government focused on the nation’s farmers and fishermen, as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday unveiled a series of 11 measures on agriculture and allied sectors like fisheries, animal husbandry, dairy, etc. The government’s move aims at strengthening the business activities of farmers, especially farm producers’ organisations (FPOs), self-help groups (SHGs) and cooperatives, ensuring better returns for their farm produce. These measures are part of the `20 lakh crore stimulus plan announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week.

Expressing concerns over the state of India’s farmers, Ms Sitharaman said of the 11 steps taken for farmers, eight of them were on agricultural infrastructure, logistics and other related activities, and the other three were on governmental reforms. “A large part of the population has been engaged in agriculture activities where our farmers have battled all odds to tackle Covid-19 blues and we need to address them,” the minister said.

Among the major steps taken for farmers, Ms Sitharaman announced the setting up of a `1 lakh crore agriculture infrastructure fund for farmgate infrastructure and a `20,000 crore package for fishermen in marine and inland fisheries as well as aquaculture via Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), and a `10,000 crore scheme for the formalisation of micro food enterprises. Besides, she also announced new agriculture marketing reforms to give marketing choices to farmers.

“The government will bring in a law in this regard and it will provide adequate choices to farmers to sell produce at an attractive price,” she said.

Elaborating on activities related to marine and inland fisheries under the PMMSY, she said the government will provide jobs to 55 lakh people in the sector. “We expect to contribute `1 lakh crore to India’s exports. It will lead to an additional 70 lakh tonnes over the next five years,” said Ms Sitharaman.

For the animal husbandry sector, she said the government would invest `15,000 crores on infrastructure development and give incentives for establishing plants for the export of niche products. “Besides, `13,343 crores will be allocated for the National Animal Disease Programme, that will ensure 100 per cent vaccination for cattle, buffalo, sheep and pigs against foot and mouth disease,” added Ms Sitharaman. Emphasising on herbal cultivation, she said `4,000 crores was given for its promotion.