New Delhi: “The NITI Aayog has drafted the three years action plan for all the sectors including agriculture. The action plan on agriculture deals with remunerative prices for farmers and raising productivity. The strategy has been chalked out for the increase in production of pulses, use of wasteland, seed village program and model contract farming,” mentioned the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Mr Parshottam Rupala, in a written reply on the floor of the Parliament.

For the Increase in production of Pulses, the National Food Security Mission (NFSM-Pulses) is being implemented in 638 districts of 29 States in the country. The interventions covered under NFSM-Pulses include cluster demonstrations on improved package of practices, demonstrations on cropping system, distribution of High Yielding Varieties (HYVs), INM, IPM, resource conservation technologies/tools, efficient water application tools and cropping system based training for increasing production and productivity of pulses. Under this scheme, new initiatives have been taken up during 2016-17 i.e., the creation of seed hubs, breeder seed production, mini kit distribution, cluster frontline demonstrations etc.

For the Use of wasteland, the PMKSY is principally for the development of rainfed portions of net cultivated and culturable wastelands.

The schemes are demand driven and are being implemented by the States and concerned agencies for benefiting the farmers, said the Minister.

Seed Village programme, to upgrade the quality of farmer’s saved seeds financial assistance for distribution of foundation/certified seeds at 50% cost of the seeds for agricultural crops for half an acre per farmer was available up to the year 2013-14.  From the year 2014-15, the financial assistance for distribution of foundation/certified seeds at 50% cost of the seeds for cereal crops and 60% for pulses, oilseeds, fodder and green manure crops for the production of quality seeds is now available for one acre per farmer.

In order to enhance certified seed production of Pulses, oilseeds, Fodder & Green manure crops in the country, this component has been initiated from 2014-15.  Under this component, the financial assistance for distribution of foundation seeds at 75% cost of the seeds for pulses, oilseeds, fodder and green manure crops for the production of Certified Seeds is available for the farmers.

In pursuance of the announcement in the Union budget 2017-18, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has constituted a Committee on 28.02.2017 to formulate a Model Contract Farming Act for adoption by the States. This Model Act on Contract Farming would address the constraints in promoting contract farming in a holistic manner by the States.

The agriculture and allied sector road map endeavors growth of agriculture for meeting food and nutrition security of the country, mentioned the Minister.