Agriculture Issues
- Agriculture is Backbone of our economy. It ensures food security of our nation, Substaining human resource etc.
- But Moving the time of Independence, Our Agriculture contributed for more than 40% of GDP but now its less then 10% of our GDP
- To Become India a 3 Trillion dollar economy as envisaged by Prime Minister it should focus on agriculture because many manufacturing industries depend upon raw material from agriculture.
- Move over, doubling income of farmer’s by 202 has been the target of the Government of the day.
- The Economic Survey 2016-17 points out the Multi-Dimentional challenges faced by farmer’s.
| TYPE OF RISKS | CAUSES | REASONS FOR SEVERITY | SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production risks | Pests, Diseases, Shortage of inputs like seeds/ Irrigation | Low productivity, declining yield | Pest and disease resistant seeds, Free markets for inputs, Set and enforce standards for quality seeds |
| Weather and Disaster related risks | High share of rainfed agriculture, Low irrigation coverage, drought, flooding, hailstorm and unseasonal rains | Production loss, Lower than potential production | Increase share of irrigated agriculture, Restore and expand irrigation, especially small projects, Adopt outcome measure of performance such as level of water table, water management |
| Price risks | Lower than remunerative price | Absence of marketing infrastructure, Presence of and excessive profiteering by middlemen | Build marketing infrastructure along the value chain, Regime based on selective timely interventions |
| Credit risks | Predominance of informal sources of credit, money lenders, Lack of capital for short term and long term loans | Absence of stable incomes/ profits lead to defaults/ indebtedness | Increase availability of formal credit and institutional credit to farmers |
| Market risks | Changes in demand/supply domestic or international | Loses market/ market share | Allow long term contracts for purchase on pre-determined prices, Start direct purchase from farmers by exempting Government purchases by PSU, Defence, Paramilitary etc. |
| Policy risks | Uncertain policies, regulations | Impact of Government policies, APMC Act and other regulations | Trade or policy changes to be announced well before sowing and to stay till arrivals and procurement is over |
Government Actions to tackle Farmers Distress:
- PMFBY will provide a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crop thus helping in stabilising the income of the farmers and encourage them for adoption of innovative practices.
- The Scheme can cover all Food & Oilseeds crops and Annual Commercial/Horticultural Crops for which past yield data is available and for which requisite number of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) will be conducted being a part of the General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES).
- The scheme is compulsory for loanee farmer obtaining Crop Loan /KCC account for notified crops. However, voluntary for Other/non loanee farmers who have insurable interest in the insured crop(s).
- Har Khet ko Pani “Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana”
- Government of India is committed to accord high priority to water conservation and its management. To this effect Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) has been formulated with the vision of extending the coverage of irrigation ‘Har Khet ko pani’ and improving water use efficiency ‘More crop per drop’ in a focused manner with end to end solution on source creation, distribution, management, field application and extension activities
- By Increasing the MSP for Kharif Crops (Doubling MSP) the Government is set to resolve Farmer’s Distress by making them plant crops which absorbs less water (Pulses). But however this move could have a negative implication. This will increase the area sown for the kharif crops which will further lead to deforestation & deterioration of soil
Soil Health Card:
- To issue soil health cards every 3 years, to all farmers of the country, so as to provide a basis to address nutrient deficiencies in fertilization practices.
- To strengthen functioning of Soil Testing Laboratories (STLs) through capacity building, involvement of agriculture students and effective linkage with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) / State Agricultural Universities (SAUs).
- To diagnose soil fertility related constraints with standardized procedures for sampling uniformly across states and analysis and design taluqa / block level fertilizer recommendations in various district.
- To develop and promote soil test based nutrient management in the districts for enhancing nutrient use efficiency.
- To build capacities of district and state level staff and of progressive farmers for promotion of nutrient management practices.
