Government moves to strengthen system from farm fields to mandis

NEW DELHI: In the Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday, special attention has been paid to agriculture and allied sectors. With a view to revive the country's economy reeling from the coronavirus crisis and speed up economic development, the Central government has tried to strengthen the system from the farm fields to the mandis for the farmers.

Sitharaman has proposed nine measures for agriculture and allied sectors. She has proposed Rs 5,000 crore under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and increase in the the Micro Irrigation Fund by Rs 5,000 crore.

The Modi government aiming to double the farmers' income by 2022, has announced to provide agricultural infrastructure funds to strengthen mandis run by the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Also, 1,000 more mandis across the country have been announced to be linked with the National Agriculture Market or eNAM. This will prove to be a major step by the Central government towards removing the apprehensions expressed about the existence of APMC mandis with the new Central farm laws.

The Minister said, "Nearly 1.68 crore farmers are registered with eNAM and trade worth Rs 1.14 lakh crore is being done through it. It is proposed to link 1,000 more mandis with eNAM to create transparency and competitiveness."

Under 'Operation Green Scheme', where there were only three perishable products, it has now been announced to add 22 more products. To promote value addition and export of agricultural and allied sector products, NirmalaSitharaman has proposed to expand the scope of 'Operation Green Scheme' to include 22 perishable products. So far it included tomatoes, onions and potatoes only.

Sitharaman said to provide adequate loans to farmers, she has set a target of increasing agricultural credit to Rs 16.5 lakh crore in FY-2022. She said that the Central government will focus on increasing credit flow for animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries departments.

Sitharaman proposed substantial investment in the development of fishing and fishing centres. She said five major fishing centres — Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip, and Petuaghat — will be developed as economic activity centres. She also proposed to develop fishing hubs in the water sector and fish landing centres on the river banks and water areas.

Also recognizing the potential in seaweed cultivation, the Finance Minister said it is an emerging area which has the potential to transform the lives of people from coastal communities. This will provide mass employment and generate additional income. To promote seaweed cultivation, Sitharaman announced to develop a multi-purpose seaweed park in Tamil Nadu.

Sitharaman presented the comparative data on the increase in procurement of crops from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), emphasizing that the current government will continue the existing MSP system. (IANS)

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