Over 300 % Hike In India's Budget Outlay For Agriculture In Last 9 Years

There has been an over 300 per cent increase in budget allocation for agriculture over the last 9 years and more than 11 crore farmers benefited from the PM Kisan scheme, according to a report released by the Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) on Wednesday.

FAIFA, a non-profit organisation that claims to represent millions of farmers and farm workers, said that there has been a huge leap in the procurement of pulses at MSP, which has also benefited the farmers.

The other highlights of the report include the introduction of over 330.5 million metric tons of food grains in the fiscal year 2022–23. Creation of 4.60 lakh seed villages and production of over 102 million metric tons of seeds.

Recognition of over 7,000 agri business and allied start-ups in the agricultural sector. Coverage of 76 lakh hectares under the Per Drop More Crop (Drip Irrigation) initiative since 2015 . Achievement of 221.06 million metric tons of milk production, marking a 51 per cent increase over 9 years.

Coverage of over 11 lakh hectares under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) since 2016, among various other notable accomplishments, FAIFA, which claims to represent farmers across the States of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, etc., convened a seminar on Wednesday at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, entitled Ensuring Farmer Livelihoods.

Enhancing Farmer Incomes Through Sustainable Farming Practices. The report also put forward strategies to enhance farmer incomes in a sustainable manner.

The seminar was attended by GVL Narasimha Rao, Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. The key speakers in the seminar were Prof MV Ashok, Senior Adviser, BAIF Research and Development Foundation Pune and Former Chief General Manager, NABARD, and Dr. JP Tandon, Former Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research.