Schemes and Programmes for the Benefit of Small and Marginal Farmers

Government restructured the ongoing scheme and following centrally sponsored Mission/Schemes are under implementation from 1.4.2014:

(i)              National Food Security Mission (NFSM)

(ii)           National Horticulture Mission

(iii)         National Mission on Oilseeds & Oil Palm

(iv)         National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) including Micro Irrigation

(v)           National Mission on Agricultural Extension & Technology

(vi)         Integrated Scheme for Farmers Income Security

(vii)       Integrated Scheme on Agri. Census & Statistics

(viii)     Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Marketing

(ix)        Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Cooperation

(x)          Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

All these Missions/Schemes are primarily for development of small and marginal farmers. 

Government has fixed a target of Rs.8,00,000 crore  for agricultural credit for the year 2014-15.

             Agricultural credit is made available to farmers at an effective rate of 4%.  This involves interest subvention of 3% for timely repayment on the concessional interest rate of 7% applicable for agriculture  sector.   Further,  extension  of 3%  interest  subvention scheme is also available to small and marginal farmers having Kisan Credit Cards for a further period of six months.

Small and marginal farmers are encouraged to organize themselves into registered Self-help Groups, Cooperatives, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) etc. to derive benefit of economies of scale in farming operations.  Such groups are provided credit for agricultural activities as joint liability groups. 

            Agriculture sector registered an average growth rate of 4.1% during the 11^th Plan period as compared to 2.5% and 2.4% during 9^th & 10^th Plan respectively. A target of 4% growth in Agriculture has been envisaged during 12^th Plan period. During the year 2013-14, agriculture sector registered a growth rate of 4.7%.

 Keeping in view the marketing problems of farmers, the existing Policy for Marketing of Agricultural Produce provides for direct marketing by farmers for getting remunerative price for their produce.  State Governments have also been advised to amend their Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act on the lines of Model APMC Act 2003 for eliminating the middlemen and facilitating farmers to sell their agricultural produce directly to bulk-buyers, processors, exporters, bulk-retailers, etc. at remunerative price. 

                The price support policy for farmers, under the regime of Minimum Support Price (MSP) is recommended by Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) seeks to achieve the objective of assuring fair and remunerative prices to the farmers, annually. 

             Government has introduced various initiatives for the development of agriculture and allied sectors.   The focus of Government is primarily to increase farm income, creation of non-farm income opportunities, improvement in productivity of rainfed agriculture, increasing coverage of farming areas under protective irrigation and establishing appropriate backward and forward linkages.

Soil assessment based crop planning is being introduced.  National Adaptation Fund is being set up to take care of vagaries of climate change and to develop climate resilient agriculture. Government has decided to provide institutional finance to joint farming groups of “Bhoomi Heen                      Kisan” through NABARD. Marketing reforms, development of scientific warehousing infrastructure including cold storages and cold-chains in the country, development of  indigenous cattle breeds and promoting inland fisheries and other non-farm activities to supplement the income of farmers are some of the steps being taken by the Government.