INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Aiming to double farmers' income by 2022, the government on Friday said it will invest in a big way in developing infrastructure in both
agriculture and allied farm sector, and encourage private entrepreneurs in food processing
Presenting the Budget for the 2019-20 fiscal, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government keeps "gaon, garib, aur kisan" at the
centre of everything that it does.Both 'ease of doing business' and 'easy of living' should apply to farmers too."We will invest widely in
agricultural infrastructure
We will support private entrepreneurships in driving value addition to farmers' produce from the field and for those from allied activities,
like bamboo and timber from the hedges and for generating renewable energy," she said.Stating that 'annadata' can also be 'urjadata', the
minister said that dairying through cooperatives should also be encouraged by creating infrastructure for cattle feed manufacturing, milk
procurement, processing and marketing
To harness potential in the fishery sector, the government proposed a Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) to establish a robust
fisheries management framework and check gaps in the value chain."Fishing and fishermen communities are closely aligned with farming and are
This (PMMSY) will address critical gaps in the value chain, including infrastructure, modernisation, traceability, production, productivity,
post-harvest management, and quality control," she added.While appreciating the farmers for making India self-sufficient in production of
pulses, the Finance Minister said, "I am sure they will repeat such a success even in the production of oilseeds
Our import bill shall be reduced by their seva."She also proposed setting up of 10,000 new Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to ensure
economies of scale for farmers over the next five years.To ensure fair price to farmers, the minister said that the centre will work with
state governments to allow farmers to benefit from electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) which was launched in 2016."The
Agriculture Produce Marketing Cooperatives (APMC) Act should not hamper farmers from getting a fair price for their produce," she said
The minister also emphasised the need to replicate Zero Budget Farming, an innovative model, across the country saying farmers are already
being trained in few states in this regard."Steps such as this can help in doubling our farmers' income in time for our 75th year of
independence," she added.Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on TheIndianSubcontinent.com
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