Implemented fresh policy initiatives to boost agriculture sector in India: Govt

New Delhi: Agriculture being a State subject, Government of India has been supporting the efforts of States through appropriate policy measures and budgetary allocation. For faster and wider development of agriculture in the country, Union Cabinet has approved many new programmes, stated the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ram Nath Thakur recently in the Parliament.

The Clean Plant Programme (CPP) was approved in August 2024 with outlay of Rs. 1765.67 crore. The CPP aims to enhance the quality and productivity of horticulture crops by providing disease free planting material and will benefit dissemination and adoption of climate resilient varieties, with yield enhancement.

The Digital Agriculture Mission was approved in September 2024 with an outlay of Rs. 2817 Crore, including the central share of Rs. 1940 Crore. The Mission is conceived as an umbrella scheme to support digital agriculture initiatives, such as creating Digital Public Infrastructure, implementing the Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES), and taking up other IT initiatives by the Central Government, State Governments, and Academic and Research Institutions.

The Union Cabinet approved the progressive expansion of Agriculture Infrastructure fund (AIF) in August 2024 to enhance and strengthen the agricultural infrastructure in the country and support the farming community by expanding the scope of eligible projects and integrate additional supportive measures to foster a robust agricultural infrastructure ecosystem.  Expanded scope includes allowing individual eligible beneficiaries for creation of infrastructure covered under ‘viable projects for building community farming assets’, integrated processing projects, convergence of PM Kusum ‘A’.

The National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds) was approved in October 2024 with total outlay of Rs.10,103 Crore. It aims to boost domestic oilseed production and achieving self-reliance in edible oils. The Mission will be implemented over a seven-year period, from 2024-25 to 2030-31.

The Union Cabinet approved the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) in November 2024 as a standalone Centrally Sponsored Scheme. The scheme has a total outlay of Rs.2481 crore (Government of India share – Rs.1584 crore; State share – Rs.897 crore).

Moreover, following significant programmes have also been initiated during 2024-25. These include National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS); AgriSURE – Agri Fund for Start Ups & Rural Enterprises; Krishi Nivesh Portal (Phase –I); Krishi-DSS Portal – A Geospatial platform for Indian Agriculture; and Introduction of Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) for various sustainable agriculture practices.