Farmers granted market control
`1 lakh crore to boost agri infra, restrictions on storage, sale, export of farm produce eased
In the third tranche of relief plan, the Narendra Modi government has focussed on improving infrastructure related to agriculture and allied sectors, and also eased restrictions on the storage, sale and export of farm produce.
One of the major announcements by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday was setting up of a `1-lakh crore agriculture infrastructure fund for farm-gate infrastructure and `10,000 crore scheme for the formalisation and technical upgradation of micro food enterprises.
“The move of the government aims at strengthening the business activities of farmers, especially farmer producer’s organisations (FPOs), self-help groups (SHGs) and cooperatives, ensuring better returns for their farm produce,” Ms Sitharaman said.
The minister said the government would also implement agriculture marketing reforms to provide marketing choices to farmers.
“The government will bring in a central law in this regard and it will provide adequate choices to farmers to sell produce at an attractive price,” she said.
In a bid to ensure better prices for farmers, Ms Sitharaman mooted to enact an amendment to the Essential Commodities Act to enable better price realisation for farmers. “We need to enable
better price realisation for farmers by attracting investments and making the agriculture sector competitive. The agriculture foodstuffs including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions, potato among others need to be deregulated,” Ms Sitharaman said.
“Stock limits will be imposed under very exceptional circumstances like national calamities, famine with a surge in prices. Further, no such stock limit shall apply to processors or value chain participants, subject to their installed capacity or to any exporter subject to the export demand,” she added.
Ms Sitharaman said
`20,000 crore would be spent for fishermen on marine and inland fisheries as well as aquaculture via Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
For the animal husbandry sector, she said the government would invest
`15,000 crore on its infrastructure development and it would give incentives for establishing plants for export of niche products. “Besides,
`13,343 crore will be allocated for the National Animal Disease Programme which will ensure
100 per cent vaccination for cattle, buffalo, sheep and pigs against foot and mouth disease (FMD),” added Ms Sitharaman.
Emphasising on herbal cultivation, she further said that `4,000 crore has been allocated for its promotion. “We will generate an income of `5,000 crore for local farmers engaged in this cultivation. The National Medicinal Plant Board will undertake 800 hectares of areas in the corridors of river Ganga for growing herbal and medical plants,” she said.
Lastly, she said `500 crore would be invested for beekeeping initiatives. “The move will increase income for around two lakh beekeepers and the scheme will include infrastructure, capacity building, marketing and export support,” she added.