Agriculture Reforms and GST Impact in India: Key Insights

On July 22, 2024, in response to an Unstarred Question in the Lok Sabha, the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Pankaj Chaudhary, addressed concerns about agriculture reforms and GST. He highlighted that agriculture is primarily managed by state governments, but the central government supports farmers through various schemes and increased budget allocations. Despite this, the GST Council, responsible for tax rates, has imposed an 18% GST on certain agricultural machinery to address inverted duty structures. The Council has not recommended reducing this rate, and no immediate changes are anticipated. The Minister also outlined significant achievements in agriculture, including increased budget allocations, record food grain production, enhanced productivity, and various farmer support schemes like MSP increases and income support programs.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.157

TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, JULY 22, 2024 /31 ASHADHA, 1946 (SAKA)

AGRICULTURE REFORMS AND GST

157. Shri Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy:

Will the Minister of FINANCE वित्त मंत्री be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is true that there is need for agriculture reforms and support to farmers, if so, the details thereof;

(b) the reasons for imposing 18% GST on some of the agriculture mechanized inputs; and

(c) the steps taken/proposed to take to bring down above 18 percent to 0 percent?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)

(a) Agriculture being a State Subject, the State Governments provide relief. However, Government of India supplements the efforts of States through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support and various schemes/ programmes. The various schemes/ programmes of the Government of India for the welfare to make farming more remunerative and make the farmers financially more secure are at Annexure.

(b) The GST rates and exemptions are notified on the basis of recommendations of GST Council, which is a constitutional body comprising of members from both the Union and State Governments.

In its 47^th Meeting, GST Council accepted the recommendation of Group of Ministers on rate rationalization to impose 18% GST on some agriculture machinery to correct the inverted duty structure.

(c) The GST rates and exemptions are notified on the basis of recommendations of GST Council, which is a constitutional body comprising of members from both the Union and State Governments. The GST Council has not recommended any change in GST rate.

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Annexure

Various schemes/ programmes of the Government of India for the welfare to make farming more remunerative and make the farmers financially more secure

Major achievements of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare since 2014

1. Unprecedented enhancement in budget allocation

In the year 2013-14 the budget allocation of Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare was only 21933.50 crore. This has increased by more than 5.26 time to Rs. 115531.79 crore in 2023-24.

2. Record food grains production

Food grain production has increased from 265.05 million tonnes in 2013-14 to record 328.85 million tonnes in 2023-24(third advance Estimates) production and horticulture production was 352.23 million tonnes (as per 3^rd advance estimates).

Crops	Production (in million tonnes)
Rice	136.70
Wheat	112.93
Jowar	4.74
Bajra	10.70
Maize	35.67
Ragi	1.56
Small Millets	0.43
Barley	1.65
Nutri Cereals	17.41
Nutri/Coarse Cereals	54.73
Cereals	304.36
Tur	3.39
Gram	11.58
Urad	2.30
Moong	2.92
Lentil	1.75
Other Kharif Pulses	0.78
Other Rabi Pulses	1.78
Total Pulses	24.49
Total Foodgrains	328.85

3. Increase in productivity

Comparison of yield between 2013-14 and 2023-24

(Kg/ha)

Crop	2013-14	2023-24*	Absolute Difference (2023-24 over 2013-14)	Difference (%)
Rice	2416	2873	457	18.92
Wheat	3145	3615	470	14.94
Maize	2676	3321	645	24.10
Coarse Cereals	1717	2949	1232	71.75
Total Pulses	763	907	144	18.87
Total Foodgrains	2120	2525	405	19.10
Total Oilseeds	1167	1316	149	12.77
Sugarcane	70522	78749	8227	11.67
Cotton	510	436	-74	-14.51
Jute	2639	2795	156	5.91

(As per 3^rd advance estimates)

4. Fixing of MSP at one-and-a half times the cost of production –

• Government has increased the MSP for all mandated Kharif, Rabi and other commercial crops with a return of at least 50 per cent over all India weighted average cost of production from 2018­19.
• MSP for Paddy (common) has increased to Rs. 2300 per quintal in 2023-24 from Rs. 1310 per quintal in 2013-14.
• MSP for Wheat increased from Rs. 1400 per quintal in 2013-14 to Rs. 2275 per quintal in 2023­24.

5. Launch of the National Mission for Edible Oils – Oil Palm

A new Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely, National Mission on Edible Oil (NMEO)-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) has been launched during August,2021 with the aim to enhance the edible oils availability in the country by harnessing Oil Palm area expansion, increasing CPO production and to reduce the import burden on edible oil. The Mission will bring additional area of 6.5 lakh ha under Oil Palm plantation with 3.28 lakh ha in North-Eastern States and 3.22 in Rest of India with a total outlay of Rs. 11,040 crore in next 5 years from 2021-22 to 2025-26. The major focus of the mission is to build up the farmer’s confidence to undertake Oil Palm cultivation, for which a new mechanism of Viability Price (VP) has been formulated which will be declared by Government of India for every oil palm year i.e. 1st of November to 31^st of October of the next year. The Viability Price will ensure remunerative returns to insulate the farmers from the volatility in the prices. During the Oil Palm Year (01.11.2021 to 31.10.2022), the Committee had recommended the Viability Price for the Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) of Rs. 10,516 per ton of FFBs. Similarly, the Viability Price for the Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) has been recommended of Rs. 13,652 per ton of FFBs for Oil Year from 01.11.2023 to 31.10.2024 which is Rs. 306 per tonne more than last Palm Year Viability Price i.e. Rs.13346 per ton of FFB.

During the year 2023-24, GoI has approved the funds allocation of the 15 States for the total amount of Rs.99311.36 lakhs as Central share for the Coverage of about 1.38 lakh ha area under Oil Palm cultivation in the country. Released an amount of Rs. 27766.29 lakhs and achieved about an Area of 46598 ha in Financial Year 2023-24.

GoI has Approved AAP of ICAR- IIOPR, Pedavegi, Andhra Pradesh for implementation of 11 nos R&D projects on Oil Palm for an amount of Rs. 2742.26 lakhs under National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) for the period from 2022-23 to 2026-27 and Central Agriculture University (CAU), Imphal for Establishment of Centre of Excellence -Oil Palm in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram amounting to Rs. 2159.40 lakh for the period 2022-23 to 2025-26. GoI has released Rs.3.24 Cr. during 2023-24.

• Oil Palm Processing Mills – approved 10 Oil Palm Mills for the NER. Arunachal Pradesh (2), Assam (6), Mizoram (1) and Nagaland (1).
• In Arunachal Pradesh- 1 mill of M/s 3F Oil Palm Pvt Ltd. was inaugurated on 9th of March 2024 in Roing (Lower Dibang Valley District), Arunachal Pradesh and another mill by M/s Patanjali Foods Pvt Ltd., at IGC-Niglok (East Siang District) will be started till July 2024.
• Assam-Land identification for two Palm Oil processing mills is under progress.
• Mizoram &Nagaland- site earmarked.

6. Increase in procurement from farmers

The procurement under PSS during the year 2022-23, a quantity of 40,02,057.73 MT of pulses, oilseeds & copra had been procured having MSP Value of Rs. 22,728.23 crore and benefiting 17,27,663 farmers. Further, during the year 2023-24 (as on 03.04.2024), a quantity of 4,38,413.23 MT of oilseeds, pulses & copra has been procured having MSP Value of Rs. 3,434.65 crore benefiting 2,36989 farmers. In addition, during 2024 season as on (03.04.2024), a quantity of 1,468.38 MT of copra has been procured having MSP value of Rs. 17.34 crore benefiting 1130 farmers.

7. Income support to farmers through PM KISAN

Launch of PM-KISAN in 2019 -an income support scheme providing Rs. 6000 per year in 3 equal installments. More than Rs. 3.24 lakh crore has been released so far to more than 11 crore farmers as of now.

8. Pradhan Manti Kisan Mandhan Yojana: “Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PMKMY)”, a central sector scheme, is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme for the entry age group of 18 to 40 years with a provision of Rs. 3000/- monthly pension on attaining the age of 60 years, subject to exclusion criteria.

As on date, 23,38,720 farmers have been enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Mandhan Yojana (PM-KMY).

9. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

Eight year (Provisional) – PMFBY was launched in 2016 addressing problems of high premium rates for farmers and reduction in sum insured due to capping. In past 8 Years of implementation – 62.60 crore farmer applications enrolled and over 17.80 crore (Provisional) farmer applicants have received claims of over Rs. 1,60,838 crore. During this period nearly Rs.32,280 crore were paid by farmers as their share of premium against which claims over Rs.1,60,838 crore (Provisional) have been paid to them. Thus for every 100 rupees of premium paid by farmers, they have received about Rs. 498 as claims.

DigiClaim– For transparency in calculation and payment of claims, Claim Payment Module for payment of claims directly to the farmer’s account through National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) using PFMS platform has been launched for implementation from Kharif 2022 season claims onwards. All the claims are now been paid by insurance companies directly to farmers through Digi claim.

SARTHI – Sandbox for Agricultural & Rural Security, Technology & Insurance: It is an innovative stride conceived by the Government. Its primary goal is to augment the financial resilience of farming community against multifaceted Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks they encounter. This pioneering platform goes beyond traditional crop insurance, aiming to provide a comprehensive suite of insurance products tailored mainly for farmers and rural India.

KRPH – Krishi Rakshak Portal and Helpline has been launched to create efficient grievance redressal mechanism for farmers under PMFBY. A dedicated Centralized Toll Free Number 14447 has been launched to facilitate query resolution and grievance redressal at national level. On registration of complaint, a unique ticket number is created, through which complainant can track the progress of their complaint. Grievance is required to be resolved within stipulated time frame. It will also help the State and Central Government to monitor the grievances.

10. Institutional credit for agriculture sector

• Institutional credit target to Agriculture has increased more than 2.5 times since 2014­15 from ₹ 8 lakh crores to ₹ 20 lakh crores in 2023-24.
• Disbursement of easy and concessional crop-loan to help the farmers in accessing short-term agriculture credit from institutional sources has increased more than two times since 2014­15 from ₹ 6.4 lakh crore to ₹ 14.79 lakh crore in 2023-24.
• Interest subsidy given to farmers through KCC has increased 2.4 times since 2014-15 from ₹ 6000 crore to ₹ 14252 crores in 2023-24.
• The number of accounts of Small and Marginal Farmers availing agriculture loans increased from 57% in 2014-15 to 76 % in 2023-24.

Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) is a Central Sector Scheme (100% GoI funded) that provides Interest Subvention (IS) of 1.5% to various Financial Institutions (Banks, RRBs, PACS, etc.) for delivering Short-Term Agriculture Operation (STAO) loans at a fixed rate of 7% to farmers through KCC. If the farmer repays the loan within time, he gets a Prompt Repayment Incentive (PRI) of 3%, bringing his loan liability to 4% overall (7% minus 3%). It is exclusively operated through Kisan Credit Card (KCC).

From 2018-19, GoI introduced the KCC scheme for allied activities i.e. Animal Husbandry and Fisheries to provide short-term working capital loans to Animal Husbandry and Fish farmers. However, interest subvention in these schemes are limited to Rs. 2 lakh only

11. Providing Soil Health Cards to farmers

Soil Health Card Scheme was introduced in the year 2014-15 to optimize usage of nutrients. The following number of cards have been issued to farmers.

• Cycle-I (2015 to 2017) – 10.74 crore
• Cycle-II (2017 to 2019)- 12.19 crore
• Model Village Programme (2019-20)- 23.71 lakh
• In the year 2020-21– 14.57 lakh
• In the year 2021-22 – No fund for Soil Samples were allocated to States/UTs.
• In the year 2022-23 – 36.73 lakh
• In the year 2023-24 – 36.76 lakh
• In the year 2024-25 – 1.99 lakh

Regulations for promotion of biostimulants is issued. Nano urea is included under fertilizer control order.

12. (A) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

The Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is the first comprehensive scheme launched in 2015-16 by the Central Government as a centrally sponsored programme (CSP) for promotion of organic farming in the country.

• Total fund released Rs 2078.67 Cr since 2015-16 (as on 30.06.2024).
• Under PKVY Scheme 38043 clusters (20 ha each) formed, 8.41 lakh ha area covered (including LAC).
• In addition to above under natural farming fund released for an area of 4.09 lakh ha area to 8 States and Under Namami Gange Programme funds Rs 272.85 crore has been released total 9551 clusters formed and 1.91 lakh ha area covered.
• A dedicated online web portal- www.Jaivikkheti.in/ has been created to encourage, sale of organic products directly by farmers to consumers farming by directly connecting the consumers. On Jaivik-kheti portal total 6.23 lakh farmers have been registered.
• Various Brands have been developed by the State for marketing of Organic Produce under the PKVY Scheme.
• Government has initiated Large Area Certification (LAC) programme since 2020-21 to certify large traditional/default organic areas such as hills, islands, tribal or desert belt with no past history of GMO and agro chemical uses.

> Under this programme 14,445 ha area under Car Nicobar and Nancowry group of islands in Union Territory of A&N Islands have been certified to transform entire territory of these islands to organic similar to Sikkim.

> Proposal of 5000 ha area has been received from Ladakh under LAC and fund Rs 11.475 lakh has been released.

> The entire cultivable land of 2700 ha area of Lakshadweep have been certified organic under Large area certification

> Under Large area certification fund Rs 96.39 lakh has been released for 60,000 ha area to the State Government of Sikkim

B) Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) Scheme

The MOVCDNER scheme aims at development of commodity specific, concentrated, certified organic production clusters in value chain mode to link growers with consumers and to support the development of entire value chain starting from inputs, seeds, certification, to the creation of facilities for collection, aggregation, processing, marketing and brand building initiative in Northeast Region (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura). The main focus of the scheme is on export of produce. The scheme was approved with an outlay of Rs. 400 crore for three years during the year 2015-16. The scheme has completed two phases of three years each and is now moving forward in Phase III.

Summary Achievements

• Total fund released Rs 1150.09 Cr since 2015-16 (as on 30.06.2024).
• 379 FPO/FPCs created covering 189039 farmers and 172966 ha area
• 394 Collection, Aggregation, Grading units, Custom Hiring Centres, 123 processing and pack house entities created under FPO/FPCs and private ownership
• 145 transportation vehicles provided to FPO/FPCs
• 7 states developed their own brands
• Marketing facilitation of ginger, turmeric, pineapple and king chilli have been major success and FPCs have been supported with buyback agreements
• The export of king chilli sauce, pineapple (canned) and ginger flakes to UK, USA, Australia, France and Swaziland have already started
• Industry mentorship model with necessary infrastructure development with 3 FPCs
• Contract production of Ginger and Turmeric with 100% buyback assurance finalized with 3FPOs in Arunachal Pradesh with Parvata Foods
• Contract cultivation of other high value crops such as Perila, black that ginger and Calendula flowers is under process.

C ) National Mission on Natural Farming

• Natural Farming is way of chemical free farming based on the livestock and locally available resources with no fertilizer and pesticides. GoI is promoting Natural Farming since 2019-20 through a sub-scheme “Bhartiya Prakratik KrishiPaddhati – (BPKP)” under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) in limited area.
• Under BPKP, 4.09 lakh ha area has been covered in 8 states Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• Prime Minister at various platforms has emphasized on the need to promote natural farming as mass movement. Hon’ble Finance Minister in her budget speech also, emphasized the need for promotion of agrochemical free natural farming.
• Therefore, to achieve the vision of Hon’ble PM and Budget Announcement, a dedicated centrally sponsored schemes “National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)” is being launched.
• Committee of Secretaries (CoS) and Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) has recommended the launching of NMNF. A Cabinet Note to roll out NMNF is under process.
• Mission Objectives:

> To promote alternative system of farming for freedom from external purchased inputs, cost reduction and thereby increasing income of farmers

> To popularize integrated agriculture-animal husbandry models based on live stocks and local resources.

> To collect, validate and document Natural Farming practices s

> To undertake activities for awareness creation, capacity building, promotion and demonstration of Natural Farming.

> To create standards, certification procedure and branding for Natural Farming products

• Details of NMNF Proposal:

>  Mission mode approach to create mass movement

>  Proposed Outlay-₹ 2184 cr (GoI share- ₹ 1584 cr& State Share- ₹ 897.00 crore

>  To facilitate 1 crore farmers to adopt Natural Farming

>  To set up 10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centers (BRC)

>  Direct funding to Central Agencies with 100% GoI share

> At least 100 farmers will be made aware about natural farming through each Farm Field Schools (FFS). Out of these 15.0 Lakh farmers 7.5 lakh farmers will be selected as seed farmers.

> To develop 15000 Model Clusters and more than 7.5 lakh ha area will become model for chemical free farming under Cluster farmers ownership

> After the approval, perspective plan will be sought from the Sates/UTs with year wise outlay for taking up Natural Farming

>  Focus will be on identification of farmers practicing livestock-based natural farming system and allow these practitioners’ farms to develop as Natural Farming knowledge hubs.

• Initiatives by DA&FW

>  National Centre of Organic Farming has been reconstituted as National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming (NCONF) and is drawing the standards for certification

> MANAGE is designated as “Knowledge Partner for Natural Farming Extension” and has started collecting best practices from across the nation.

> ICAR-KVKs trained more than 3,60,000 farmers, laid demonstrations at 539 KVKs and also initiated research and drafted course curriculum for UG and PG courses. Initiated research through its network of 20 institutes for developing and validating NF cropping system Packages of Practices (PoPs).Out-Scaling of “Natural Farming” to be undertaken through 425 KVKs from Rabi Season (Training of 68,000 Farmers & 8,500 Demonstrations per year)

13. Agri Infrastructure Fund

A one Lakh Crore, Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme was launched with an objective to mobilize a medium – long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post­harvest management Infrastructure and community farming assets through incentives and financial support in order to improve agriculture infrastructure in the country. Following supports are being provided under Agri Infra Fund.

1. Interest Subvention: All loans under this financing facility have interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit of ₹ 2 crore. This subvention is available for a maximum period of 7 years. In case of loans beyond ₹ 2 crore, interest subvention is limited up to ₹ 2 crore.

2. Credit Guarantee: Credit guarantee coverage is available for eligible borrowers from this financing facility under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to ₹ 2 crore. The fee for this coverage will be paid by the Government. In case of FPOs the credit guarantee may be availed from the facility created under FPO promotion scheme of DA&FW.

3. With the passage of time, the scheme is gaining popularity. Since the inception of AIF, 43,391 Crores have been sanctioned for 68,200 projects under AIF, out of this total sanctioned amount 33,254 Crores are covered under scheme benefits. These sanctioned projects have mobilized an investment of Rs 72,656 Crores in agriculture sector. Major projects sanctioned under AIF include 16,996 Custom Hiring Centres, 14,684 Primary Processing Units, 13,114 Warehouses, 2,928 Sorting & Grading Units, 1,783 Cold Store projects and around 18,695 other kinds of post-harvest management projects and community farming assets.

14. Promotion of FPOs

A new Central Sector Scheme for Formation & Promotion of new 10,000 FPOs launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 29th February, 2020 with budget outlay of Rs 6,865 Crore till 2027-28.

As on 30^th June 2024, 8,872 no. of FPOs have been registered under new FPO scheme. Equity Grant of Rs. 209.9 Crore has been released to 4,135 FPOs. Credit Guarantee Cover worth Rs. 349.28 Cr. issued to 1,542 FPOs.

15. The National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) was launched in 2020 as a part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, with an outlay of Rs.500.00 crores for three years i.e., 2020-21 to 2022-23. The scheme has been extended for further three years, i.e., 2023-24 to 2025-26, with the remaining budget of Rs.370.00 crores from the allocated budget of Rs.500.00 crores for the overall promotion and development of scientific beekeeping and to achieve the goal of “Sweet Revolution”.

India is currently producing about 1,42,000 Metric Tonnes (MTs) (Final Estimate) of Honey (2022-23). The country has exported 79,929 MT of Honey world-wide during 2022-23.

• 6 World Class State-of-the-Art Honey Testing Labs, 47 Mini Honey Testing Labs, 6 Disease Diagnostic Labs, 08 Custom Hiring centres, 26 Honey Processing Units, 12 Beekeeping Equipment’s Unit, 18 Collection- Branding & Marketing Units, 10 Packaging and Cold storage have been sanctioned under National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) till date.
• 424 Ha. land has been covered as Technology Demonstration on Beekeeping and 288 Ha. as Plantations of Bee friendly Flora under sanctioned projects of National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM). Also, 167 activities sanctioned as Empowerment of Women by making SHGs under National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) in various states.
• A National Centre of Excellence in Beekeeping sanctioned at IIT, Roorkee.
• As per the demand of beekeeping sector APEDA imposed Minimum Export Price (MEP) of US $ 2,000 (Rs. 1,67,103.20/-) per metric ton (PMT). e., Rs. 167.10 per Kg of Honey. The announced MEP is imposed till 31st Dec 2024.

Madhukranti portal has been launched for online registration traceability of source of honey and other bee products. About 14,822 Beekeepers/ Beekeeping & Honey Societies/ Firms/ Companies with 22.39 lakhs honeybee colonies registered with NBB on “Madhukranti Portal”.

Under the scheme of “Formation of 10,000 FPOs”, 100 FPOs of Beekeepers/ Honey Producers are allotted to TRIFED (14 nos.), NAFED (60 nos.) and NDDB (26 nos.) for implementation of activities under NBHM. Out of total 100 FPOs allotted to NBB, 97 FPOs of Beekeepers/ Honey Producers have been registered/ formed till date.

16. Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)

Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme launched during 2015-16 aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation technologies namely Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation systems to benefit the farmers in the country.

During the year 2015-16 to 2021-22, the PDMC was implemented as a component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). From the year 2022-23, the PDMC is being implemented under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). Micro Irrigation helps in water saving as well as reducing fertilizer usage through fertigation, labour expenses, other input costs and in overall income enhancement of the farmers.

Under the Scheme, financial assistance of 55% to Small & Marginal farmers and 45% to Other farmers is provided for installation of Micro Irrigation systems. From the year 2015-16 to 2022-23, an area of 78.4 lakh ha has been covered under Micro Irrigation in the Country through the scheme which is about 81% higher as compared to the Pre-PDMC eight years period. This is a significant achievement. Total of 89.87 lakh ha. area covered till march 2024.

An evaluation study of PDMC Scheme was taken up by the NITI Aayog during 2020-21, which reveals that the scheme is relevant in achieving national priorities such as substantially improving on-farm water use efficiency, enhancing crop productivity, generating employment opportunities etc.; Income of farmers has increased in the range of 10% to 69%; Water use efficiency has improved in the range of 30% to 70% and created direct & indirect employment opportunities.

17. Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF)

A Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) of initial corpus Rs 5000 crore has been created with NABARD with major objective to facilitate the States in mobilizing the resources for expanding coverage of Micro Irrigation. Under the funding arrangement, NABARD lends to the States/UTs at 3% lower interest rate than the corresponding cost of fund mobilized by NABARD from the market. The interest subvention on the loan under MIF is borne by Centre under PDMC. Projects with loans under MIF worth Rs 4724.74 crore have been approved so far. Loans amounting Rs. 3387.80 crore has been disbursed to States. The Ministry provides interest subvention on the loan availed by the States which is met from PDMC Scheme. As per the Budget Announcement of the year 2021-22, the corpus of the fund is to be doubled to Rs.10000 crores.

18. Rainfed Area Development (RAD)

RAD is being implemented as a component under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) from 2014-15 in the country. RAD focuses on Integrated Farming System (IFS) for enhancing productivity and minimizing risks associated with climatic variability. An amount of Rs. 1796.64 crores has been released & an area of 7.73 lakh hectare has been covered under RAD programme from the year 2014-15 to till date.

19. Agricultural Mechanization

Agricultural mechanization is extremely vital to modernize agriculture and reduce drudgery of farming operations. During the period from 2014-15 to March, 2024 an amount of Rs.7265.00 crore have been allocated for agricultural mechanization. 18,16,221 numbers of machines and equipments have been provided to farmers on subsidy. 25,527 custom hiring centers, 594 high-tech hubs and 23,538 farm machinery banks have been established to make available agricultural machines and equipments to the farmers on rental basis. During 2024-25, Rs.69.99 Crore have been released to States.

b. In order to support the efforts of the Government of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi to address air pollution due to crop residue burning, funds amounting to Rs.3340.06 crores have been released to these States during the period from 2018-19 to 2023-24 (as on 31.03.2024), for crop residue management through mechanization interventions. 40,793 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) of crop residue management machines have been established and more than 2.96 lakh machines have been supplied to these CHCs and individual farmers of these four States.

c. Looking into the unique advantages of Drone technologies in agriculture, a Standard Crop Specific Operating Procedures (SOPs) released the for use of drones in pesticide and nutrient application in public domain on 20.04.2023, which provides concise instructions for effective and safe operations of drones.

i. In order to make this technology affordable to the farmers and other stakeholders of this sector, financial assistance @ 100 % cost of drone together with the contingent expenditure is extended under Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) for its demonstration on the farmer’s fields.

ii. In order the provide agricultural services through drone application, financial assistance @ 40% of the basic cost of drone and its attachments up to a maximum of Rs. 4.00 lakhs, is provided for drone purchase by Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) under Cooperative Society of Farmers, FPOs and Rural entrepreneurs. The agriculture graduates establishing CHCs are eligible to receive financial assistance @ 50% of the cost of drone up to a maximum of Rs. 5.00 lakhs. Apart from above, the individual farmers are also eligible for financial assistance and the Small and Marginal Farmers, SC/ST Farmers, Women Farmers and the Farmers of the North Eastern States are provided financial assistance @ 50% of the cost of drone up to a maximum of Rs. 5.00 lakhs. The other farmers are provided financial assistance @ 40% of the cost of drone up to a maximum of Rs. 4.00 lakhs

iii. From within the funds of SMAM, so far an amount of Rs. 141.41 crores have been released towards Kisan drone promotion, which include purchase of 317 Drones for their demonstration in 79070 hectares of land and supply of 527 drones to the farmers on subsidy and also supply of 1595 drones to the CHCs for providing drone services to the farmers on rental basis.

20. Setting up of E-NAM extension Platform

The Department has integrated 1389 mandis with e-NAM across 23 States &4 UTs.

As on 30^th June 2024, 1.77 crore Farmers & 2.59 Lakh traders have been registered on e-NAM portal. Total volume of 9.94 Crore MT & 36.39 Crore numbers (bamboo, betel leaves, coconut, lemon & sweet corn) collectively worth approximately Rs. 3.59 lakh crore of trade has been recorded on e-NAM platform.

21. Improvement in farm produce logistics, Introduction of Kisan Rail.

Kisan Rail has been launched by Ministry of Railways to exclusively cater to movement of perishable agrihorti commodities. First Kisan Rail was started in July 2020. Till 28^th February, 2023, 2359 services on 167 routes have been operated.

22. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH):

Details of physical progress under the major components of NHM/HMNEH scheme of MIDH from 2014-15 to 2023-24 is as under:

• Area Expansion: – An additional area of 13.79 lakh ha. of identified horticulture crops has been covered.
• Nurseries: – 905 nurseries have been established for production of quality planting material.
• Rejuvenation: – An area of 1.48 lakh ha. of old and senile orchards has been rejuvenated.
• Organic Farming: – An area of 52259 ha. been covered under organic practices.
• Protected Cultivation: – An area of 3.04 lakh ha. has been covered under Protected Cultivation.
• Water Resources: – 54630 water-harvesting structures have been created.
• Beekeeping: – 16.30 lakh bee colonies with hives have been distributed.
• Horticulture Mechanization: -2.73 lakh horticulture mechanization equipment have been distributed.
• Post-Harvest Management Infrastructures: – 1.27 lakh post-harvest units have been established.
• Market Infrastructures: – 15923 market infrastructures have been set up.
• Training of Farmers: – Under HRD, 9.73 lakh farmers have been trained under various horticulture activities.

Allocation and release under MIDH since 2014-15 including the current financial year (2023-24) is as under: –

(Rs. in crore)

Year	Allocation (BE)	Allocation (RE)	Release
2014-15	2263.00	1990.07	1958.73
2015-16	2000.00	1769.59	1699.42
2016-17	1620.00	1660.00	1495.72
2017-18	2329.13	2198.63	2034.63
2018-19	2546.24	2108.07	2004.00
2019-20	2209.57	1551.55	1314.88
2020-21	2160.25	1511.92	1372.40
2021-22	2249.78	1509.76	954.37
2022-23	1914.38	1100.00	1199.33
2023-24	1965.98	1578.47	1486.67

• Indian horticulture sector contributes about 33% to the agriculture Gross Value Added (GVA) making very significant contribution to the Indian economy. Apart from ensuring nutritional security of the nation, it provides alternate rural employment opportunities, diversification in farm activities, and enhanced income to farmers.
• Country’s current horticulture production has reached to 350 MT which is highest ever production till date. It has now surpassed the estimated food grain production of 330 MT.
• India has emerged as world leader in the production of a variety of fruits like Mango, Banana, Guava, Papaya, Sapota, Pomegranate, Lime & Aonla and vegetables like Onion, Okra, Carrot, Potato & Tomato etc.
• The Nation has maintained its dominance in the production of spices, coconut and cashewnut. Among the new crops, kiwi, gherkins, kinnow, date palm and oil palm have been successfully introduced for commercial cultivation in the country.
• Launch of Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) has spurred the production and productivity of horticultural crops. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched during 2014-15 for promoting holistic growth of horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.
• Under MIDH, 53 Centre of Excellences have been established under bilateral cooperation with Israel & Netherlands and through Research Institutes for quality planting material production, technology demonstration & adoption.
• To leverage geographical specialization of horticulture clusters and promote integrated and market-led development MoA&FW has identified 55 horticulture clusters, of which 12 have been selected for the pilot phase of the Cluster Development Programme.
• To boost the availability of quality planting material in the country and to become self-reliant in supply of disease free quality planting material a “Clean Plant Program” has been announced by Hon’ble Financial Minister in 2023. The CPP initiative shall bring in Certification and Traceability in the planting material supply chain and make India self-sustainable in production and supply of Quality Planting Material of high value Horticulture plants.
• There are numerous success stories in the field of Horticulture for example, Banana production in Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu; Guava & Tomato in Chhattisgarh; Pomegranate & Mango in Gujarat; Pineapple in Nagaland; Kiwi in Arunachal; Orchids in Sikkim; Off season vegetables in Uttarakhand etc.

23. Creation of a Start-up Eco system in agriculture and allied sector

So far, 1708 Start-ups working in agriculture & allied sector have been selected during FY 2019-20 to 2023-24 by different Knowledge Partners (KPs) and Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs). Rs. 122.50 crore as grants-in-aid has been released in installments to the respective KPs & R-ABIs for funding to these selected start-ups under RKVY Agri-startup Programme of Department of Agriculture & FW.

Department of Agriculture & Farmer Welfare organised a two day Agri-Startup Conclave and Kisan Samman Sammelan on 17 & 18 October, 2022 at IARI, Mela Ground, Pusa, New Delhi. More than 13,500 farmers and 1500 agri-start-ups from across the country participated in the said event. Over 300 agri-start-ups working in different spheres of agriculture & allied sectors showcased their business idea there. This event was inaugurated by Hon’ble PM and he also interacted with the farmers and agri-start-ups .

The objective of this event was to showcase the role played by agri-start-ups in different dimensions of agriculture processes & produces, agri-machineries, agri-inputs, innovation in agri technologies and various farmer friendly practices to the farmers. Besides, senior scientists, agricultural experts, extension workers, policy makers, govt. officials also participated to share their experience with the farmers in large numbers across the country in the above conclave.

The event offered an opportunity to agri-start-ups to network with stakeholders and markets their innovations and interacts and seeks funding from investors to scale up their business. This event provided an opportunity to start-ups to learn from their peer start-ups and shared ideas in supporting the farmers. The event was envisioned to create a dialogue and accelerate innovations at a national level for start-ups in the agriculture and allied sectors to support farmers.

RKVY (DPR)

I. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) ( DPR) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme started in the year 2007-08. Under this scheme, funds are released to the State Governments as Grants-in-Aid on the basis of projects in agriculture & allied sectors approved in the State Level Sanctioning Committee Meeting (SLSC) headed by the Chief Secretary of the concerned State, which is the empowered body on the matter. This scheme provides autonomy and flexibility to State Govts to devise and implement the projects as per its priority, need , agro climatic conditions etc in multi sectoral activities .

II. During the year 2014-15 to 2023-24, State Governments, keeping in view their priorities, have approved approx. 9500 project proposals for implementation under DPR component of RKVY in wide ranging sectors. Sector wise details in this regard are given below.

Horticulture (1380 of projects), Agriculture Mechanization (477 of projects), Crop Development (869 of projects), Marketing and Post Harvesting (350 of projects), Extension (355 of projects), Fertilizer & INM (123 of projects), Innovative Programme & Training Capacity (412 of projects), Integrated Pest Management(175 of projects), Micro-Irrigation (293 of projects), Natural Resource Management (397 of projects), Organic Farming and Bio-fertilizer (179 of projects), Seed (524 of projects),Agriculture research & infrastructure (1136 of projects),Sericulture (271 of projects),Animal Husbandry (1033 of projects), Dairy Development (346 of projects), Fisheries (717 of projects) , Cooperative and Cooperation (167 of projects)etc

Critical infrastructure such as State Seed Farms, Soil and Fertiliser Testing Labs, nurseries etc have received substantial support under RKVY.

III. During the year 2014-15 to 2023-24, Govt of India released around Rs. 33,500 crore under RKVY (DPR) to State Governments for implementation of the projects.

24. Achievement in Export of Agri and Allied Agri- Commodities

“The country has witnessed emphatic growth in export of agri and allied commodities. As compared to previous year 2022-23, the Agri and allied export has increased from 53.15 billion USD in 2022-23 to 48.78 billion USD in 2023-24 i.e. a decrease of 8.23%. The major commodities which posted significant growth as compared to previous year have been Rice Basmati 21.92% (4787.65 to 5837.13 Million USD), buffalo Meat 17.11% (3193.69 to 3740.16 Million USD), Spices12.17% (3785.36 to 4245.99 Million USD), cotton raw incld. Waste 55.13% (781.43 to 1115.49 Million USD), Fresh Fruits 32.46% (864.62 to 1145.24 Million USD), misc processed items 37.88% (1421.64 to 1652.22 Million USD) etc.”

The export of Agri and allied commodities during in April-May, 2024 was 8.35 billion USD from 8.38 billion USD in the same period of 2023-24 i.e. a decrease of .39%

25. DARE/ICAR achievements for climate resilience in agriculture

The ICAR-DARE project on “National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture” (NICRA) aims to minimize the climatic change impacts on agriculture and allied sectors through strategic research on adaptation and mitigation, demonstration of technologies at farmers’ fields, and creating awareness among farmers and other stakeholders. The thrust areas of strategic research include identifying most vulnerable districts/regions to climate change, evolving crop varieties and management practices for adaptation and mitigation, assessing climate change impacts on livestock, fisheries and poultry, and identifying adaptation strategies. Significant achievements of ICAR towards bringing climate resilience to farm sector during 2014-23 are highlighted below: • In total, 1890 climate resilient crop varieties including 893 of cereals, 319 of oilseeds, 338 of pulses, 103 of forage crops, 182 of fibre crops, 45 of sugar crops, and 10 of other crops were developed.• Sixty-eight climate resilient technologies were demonstrated in 446 villages on 15857 farmers’ fields during 2014-23. In addition, five new climate resilient technologies were developed during 2022-23. • Established Climate resilient villages in 151 vulnerable districts involving 1 lakh farm families. • 88 biocontrol agents, 31 biopesticides and 41 biofertilizers were documented and circulated. • Standardized drip fertigation schedules for 15 crops and cropping systems for achieving higher water and nutrient use efficiency. • Developed a Mobile App for accessing information on risk and vulnerability at district level for adaptation planning. • During 2014-23, total 53 multi- enterprise integrated farming system (IFS) models were developed for small and marginal farmers. The models have potential to enhance the annual farm income to the tune of Rs. 3.6 lakhs per hectare. • Updated 450 District Agriculture Contingency Plans that provide contingency measures and technological solutions for minimizing the impact of weather aberrations. Twentyfour district drought proofing action plans were also developed for Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan states. • Climate change research facilities such as high through-put phenotyping platforms, free air temperature elevation (FATE), carbon dioxide and temperature gradient tunnels (CTGC), rainout shelters, animal calorimeter, shipping vessel, flux towers and satellite data receiving station etc. have been established and are being used to study the impact of elevated carbon dioxide and temperature on crops, livestock, fisheries, soil, water, pests and diseases.

26. Measures taken for promotion of millets

The International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023, declared by the UNGA in 2021, has witnessed significant achievements under the proactive approach of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Some of the major initiatives taken for the promotion of millets and achievements made are as follows;

I. Production Growth: Millet production has surged by 25% over the last five years, reaching 172 Lakh MT from 137 Lakh MT (2018-19 to 2022-23). In the past year alone, there has been an 8% increase.

II. Productivity Improvement: Productivity has seen a remarkable increase, growing from 1093 Kg/ha to 1364 Kg/ha, marking a 25% growth between 2018 and 2023.

III. Task Force Committees: Six task force committees have been established to address gaps and challenges in the millets value chain. Reports have been submitted, and actions are underway with the involvement of various research institutes.

IV. Seed Hubs: To support farmers, 25 seed hubs have been established in collaboration with ICAR, ensuring the availability of high-quality seeds of improved millet varieties.

V. Sub-Mission on Nutri- Cereals: The sub-mission on nutri-cereals under NFSM is now implemented across all districts of 28 states and 2 union territories, further boosting millet production.

VI. Seed Minikits: In 2023-24, over 20 lakh millets seed minikits of newly released high-yielding varieties/hybrids have been allocated to major millet-growing states.

VII. State Millet Missions: Thirteen states have launched Millet Missions & initiatives, aiming to promote millet cultivation and its products. More states are in the process of rolling out similar initiatives.

VIII. One District One Product: Millet and its products have been identified as ODOP in 19 districts across 10 states, emphasizing local specialization.

IX. Brands Supported: Under PMFME, three brands have been supported to promote millet-based products – Somdana and Bhimtadi in Maharashtra and Seemi in Karnataka.

X. Policy Measures: Guidelines for the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for millet-based products were notified in June 2022. Additionally, millets were renamed as Shree Anna in the Budget of 2023-24, and the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) was declared as the Global Centre of Excellence.

• Inclusion of millets under Poshan Abhiyan and revision of guidelines for increased procurement under TPDS, Mid-day-meal, and ICDS.
• 30% millets (Shree Anna) have been proposed to be included in the meals of personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
• Procurement of 7.37 lakh tonnes of millets during the kharif marketing season of 2022-23.

XI. Awareness generation:

Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), has undertaken a comprehensive array of initiatives to promote awareness about millets during the International Year of Millets (IYM) in 2023. These efforts encompass events, exhibitions, collaborations, and policy changes across various ministries, departments, and state governments. Key highlights include:

i. Outreach & Events:

• Numerous events and activities, engaging stakeholders across the millet value chain, have reached an estimated 22.56 crore persons at the national and international stages
• Participation in Dubai Expo showcasing millet products and startups
• Millets displayed at Surajkund Mela, AAHAR, and International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) events
• Special millet luncheons hosted for foreign ambassadors, Members of Parliament, and farmers
• Participation in key international events and expos, such as Saveurs & Métiers Trade Show, Millet Food Festival in Nigeria, and Gulfed 2023
• Participation in the ASEAN-India Millet Festival 2023 and hosting the event in New Delhi and Jakarta, Indonesia.
• Millet festivals and exhibitions for G20 leaders’ spouses and first ladies at the IARI Campus, PUSA

ii. International Collaborations:

• USD 500,000 contribution to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the International Year of Millets, 2023

  iii. High level conferences and global recognition:

• Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at IARI Pusa campus
• Opening ceremony of IYM at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, attended by a delegation led by Union Minister of State, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje
• Showcasing IIMR as a global center for excellence at the G20 Agriculture Ministers meeting in Hyderabad for the G20 meeting.

iv. Promotion in educational institutions and public spaces:

• Inclusion of millets in the canteen and hostel food menus of schools, colleges, IIMs, NITs and AIIMS.
• Millet menus on trains and e-tickets, along with the introduction of the IYM logo by the Ministry of Railways.
• Vending machines of millet-based products installed in 24 Ministries/ Departments of Central Government basis an MoU between DA&FW and NAFED.

v. Public awareness campaigns:

• Special episodes and discussions on DD Kisan’s show Vichar Vimarsh
• Public service announcements across airports, airlines, railway stations, and trains
• Preparation of a short video film to be displayed in cinema theatres during compulsory time

vi. Culinary training and exhibitions:

• Culinary training sessions for chefs associated with paramilitary forces and departmental canteens
• Millet festivals, exhibitions, and culinary training across various venues, including Parliament Annexe and Civil Services Officers Institute.

27. Sub-Mission on Seeds & Planting Materials (SMSP).

Sub-Mission on Seeds & Planting Materials (SMSP) has implemented from the year 2014-15 to promote production and multiplication of quality seeds of agricultural crops, so that the required quantities of seeds could be made available to farmers in the country.

• Under Seed Village Programme, 6.85 lakh no. of Seed Villages created, 1649.26 lakh quintals of quality seeds produced and total beneficiaries stand at 2.85 crore.
• The funds has been released to the States/implementing agencies for creating Seed Processing Capacity of 13.70 lakh Quintals & Seed Storage Capacity of 22.59 lakh Quintals.
• The financial assistance provided to the States to setup 517 no. of Seed Processing-cum-storage godown Units each of 500 MT. capacities at Gram Panchayat level to create total 25.85 lakh qtls. seed processing capacity and 25.85 lakh qtls. seed storage capacity during the year 2017-18 to 2019-20.
• Under the National Seed Reserve 29.68 lakh qtls. of various seeds of short and medium duration varieties have been maintained to meet the requirement of Seeds to the farmers during natural calamities and unforeseen conditions like floods, drought etc.
• The financial assistance has provided for 67 No. of Seed Testing Labs (STLs), renovation of 34 No. of STLs, 14 DNA Finger Printing Labs, 07 Specialized Seed Health Labs, 42 Grow-Out Test Farms/ Green House Facilities and various Seed Certification Agencies for Staff Cost, Travelling Allowance and Office Automation etc. for Strengthening of Seed Quality Control in the Country.

Other Achievements of Seeds Division

• The foundation stone for Plant Authority Bhawan was laid by Hon’ble Agriculture Minister on 22.07.2021.
• The PPV&FR Authority organised first Global Symposium on Farmers’ Rights from 12-15 September, 2023 wherein Awards/ Rewards/ Recognition was given for outstanding work to various farmers across the country. Further, the Plant Authority Bhawan was inaugurated by Hon’ble President Ms. Draupudi Murmu”.
• A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed on 02.08.2017 between DA&FW and International Rice

Research Institute, Manila regarding setting up of a regional centre of IRRI (IRRI South Asia Regional Centre) in Varanasi that will provide a base for the operations of IRRI in the service of India and the region for the minimum of a decade, which can be further extended on a mutual agreement basis. Accordingly, the MoA for continuing the activities in Phase-II was signed on 12.07.2022.

• Indian Seed Certification Working Manual has prepared to achieve uniformity in the work of certification of seeds by certification agencies to ensure availability of quality seeds to farmers across the country.
• Organized 9^th Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of FAO in India during 19th – 24^th September, 2022 preceded by two days of regional and inter-regional consultations first time in the History. 426 participants from 121 Countries (physical) and 30 participants from 30 Countries (online) as well as about 250 Indian officials were participated.
• Amendments in Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the Rules 2004 and Regulations accordingly, exempted plant varieties registered and rights granted under PPV&FR Act, 2001, revise the definition of farmers varieties, biological resources, research, exemption of crop species listed in Annex-1 of the plant Treaty, declaration of seeds and planting materials as NTC under section 40 of the BD Act etc.
• For the financial year 2022-23, National Seeds Corporation Ltd. has decided to give dividend of Rs. 33.78 Cr to the Govt. of India (5% of networth).

Seeds Availability

• As reported by the States, the availability of certified/quality seeds across the country has increased from 351.77 lakh qtls. in 2014-15 to 508.60 lakh qtls. in during the year 2023-24.
• The availability of certified/quality seeds is assessed at 193.52 lakh qtls. against the requirement of 185.84 lakh qtls. for the Kharif- 2024 across the country

Seed Traceability

• The DA&FW, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Govt. of India is working on Centralized Online System for Seed Traceability Project for effective monitoring, efficiency and transparency in seed traceability.
• Hon’ble Agriculture Minister, Govt. of India has already launched 1^st phase of Seed Authentication, Traceability & Holistic Inventory (SATHI) portal – Seed Traceability for effective monitoring, efficiency and transparency covering Seed chain from Nucleus-Breeder-Foundation-Certified Seed on 19^th April, 2023.
• The 20 States (Maharashtra, Assam, Punjab, Odisha, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jammu, Kashmir, Karnataka have done complete operation of multiple seasons on the SATHI, some of the new on-boarded states are Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Puducherry) while remaining states are on the process to join from next season.
• The Phase-II of SATHI portal-Seed Supply Chain Management (Inventory) is in progress. The trial run has successfully conducted in some States (Uttrakhand, Maharashtra and Punjab).
• Cotton Seeds Price (Control) Order (CSPCO), 2015

In order to provide an effective system for fixation of a uniform maximum price and to ensure the availability of Bt. Cotton hybrid seeds to farmers at fair, reasonable and affordable prices, the Government of India issued a Cotton Seeds Price (Control) Order (CSPCO), 2015 on 07.12.2015 under section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Accordingly, the DA&FW is fixing the maximum sale price of Bt. Cotton seed every year. Accordingly, the price of seeds of Bt. Cotton has been fixed at Rs.635/- for BG-I and for BG-II, Rs.864/- for a packet of 450 grams for the year 2024.

• Notification of New Varieties Crops

Total 2,593 varieties of Agricultural and 638 varieties of Horticultural crops have been notified during the years 2014-15 to 2023-24.

28. National Bamboo Mission

1. The restructured National Bamboo Mission (NBM) was launched during 2018-19 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) subsequent to the historical amendment of the Indian Forest Act during 2017 to exclude bamboo out from the definition of tree. Resultant to this historic amendment, bamboo grown in the non-forest area is out of the scope of regulations on the forest produces. During the year 2022-23 the NBM has been merged with Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) scheme.

2. The restructured National Bamboo Mission (NBM) primarily focuses on the development of complete value chain of bamboo sector to link growers with consumers starting from planting material, plantation, creation of facilities for collection, aggregation, processing marketing, micro, small &medium enterprises, skilled manpower and brand building initiative in a cluster approach mode. Presently the scheme is being implemented in 24 States/UTs.

3. Details of Financial progress under restructured NBM (2018-19 to 2024-25) (as on 30.06.2024) is as under:

(Rs. In crore)

Year	BE	RE	Expenditure
2018-19	300.00	153.30	150.03
2019-20	150.00	87.00	84.51
2020-21	110.00	94.00	75.21
2021-22	100.00	70.00	20.58
2022-23	65.00	40.00	11.63	NBM merged with MIDH
2023-24	95.00	60.00	50.38
2024-25	105.76	–	02.88

4. Details of Physical Progress under the major components of restructured NBM from (2018-19 to 2024-25 (as on 30.06.2024) is as under:

Bamboo Nurseries:- 404 Nos. of Bamboo nurseries including 14 accredited nurseries have been established.

Bamboo Plantation:- 58981 hectare non-forest area has been covered under bamboo Plantation.

Promotion of bamboo treatment and preservation:- 104 Nos. of bamboo treatment and preservation units have been set up.

Product Development and Processing: – 516 Nos. of Product Development and Processing units have been set up.

Infrastructure for Bamboo Market: -122 Nos. of Infrastructures for Bamboo Market etc. have been created.

Skill Development: -23708 persons have been provided training under the scheme.

Awareness Campaign: – Around 316 Nos. of Workshop/ seminar/ trade fairs/ exhibition carried out.

29. Capacity Building of Extension Functionaries:

Under Central Sector Scheme of Agri-clinics and Agri-business Centres (AC&ABC) which aims at providing self-employment opportunities for unemployed Agriculture Graduates, MANAGE has trained 56425 unemployed Agriculture Graduates and established 26209 Agri. Ventures.

Under Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers (DAESI) Programme, which is Central Sector Scheme aiming at transforming Input Dealers into Para-Extension Professionals, MANAGE has trained 89104 Input Dealers in scientific Agricultural Practices.

30. Capacity Building of Farmers in different thematic areas under ATMA Scheme:

Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) is being implemented in 739 districts of 28 states & 5 UTs in the country. The scheme promotes decentralized farmer-friendly extension system in the country. The objectives of ATMA Scheme is to support State Government’s efforts and to make available latest agricultural technologies and good agricultural practices in different thematic areas of agriculture and allied areas to farmers through different extension activities viz; Farmers Training, Demonstrations, Exposure Visits, Kisan Mela, Mobilization of Farmers Groups and organizing Farm Schools etc.

Since 2014 to 2024 (up to 30^th June, 2024), an amount of Rs.5487.93 crore (Central Share) has been released to the States/UTs including MANAGE to carry out extension activities and 3,85,52,884 farmers have been benefited through different extension under the Scheme. Year-wise Physical and Financial progress under ATMA Since 2014-15 onwards is given below: –

(Rs. in Crore)

Sl. No.	Year	Funds Released to States/UTs (Central Share)	Number of farmers Benefitted
1.	2014-15	522.98	3582521
2.	2015-16	406.69	3246074
3.	2016-17	413.41	3506439
4.	2017-18	591.28	5143336
5.	2018-19	570.83	4804234
6.	2019-20	595.28	3825079
7.	2020-21	624.88	3526869
8.	2021-22	553.71	3238772
9.	2022-23	475.87	4011879
10.	2023-24	632.90	3660589
11.	2024-25 (up to 30-06-2024)	100.10	7092

31. Agristack

• For better planning, monitoring, policy making, strategy formulation and smooth implementation of schemes a federated architecture is being developed.
• To create a coherent Digital Agriculture Ecosystem, to improve the income and welfare of farmers and to make Indian Agriculture Sector achieve higher levels of efficiency through value-added services across agriculture lifecycle, better planning and implementation of Schemes, leveraging Industry and start-ups, roping in emerging technologies and federated database of farmers that is based on land records. The design and development of IDEA Blueprint involves detailed work involving experts in the areas like the agriculture domain, information technology and program planning.
• AgriStack architecture has the following foundational layers: –
• Core registries
• Base databases
• Farmers Database: Farmers ID linked with land records
• Geo-referencing of plots
• Crop Survey, Crop planning and
• Soil Mapping, Soil Fertility
• Unified Farmers Service Interface for state.
• Data Exchange

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