Report on roadmap to double farmers' income by Sept: Govt

An inter-ministerial panel, which has been mandated to recommend a roadmap to double farmers' income by 2020, will submit the report by September, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today.
Highlighting measures taken to boost farm output and farmers income, the Minister said in Rajya Sabha more funds have been allocated under various schemes like PMKSY and hence there are no plans for a separate agriculture budget.
On the progress made in implementation of electronic national agriculture market (e-NAM), he said so far 23 mandis in eight states have been integrated and a total 200 mandis would be brought to the online platform by September.

"By 2020, we want to double farmers' income. In April, an inter-ministerial committee was set up to study and recommend a roadmap for doubling the income of farmers. The committee will submit the first report by September," Singh said in the Upper House during Question Hour.
The broad mandate of the panel is to study the current income level of farmers/agri-labourers, measure the historical growth rate of current income level and determine the required growth rate to double the income of farmers.
The panel will not only recommend various strategies to be adopted to accomplish the target but also suggest an institutional mechanism to review and monitor implementation of the realised goal, he added.

"The committee has begun its work and the approach adopted is that it shall work as a dynamic committee. It shall suggest interventions to be made on a continuous basis begining with the 2016 kharif itself," Singh noted.

The Ministry is aware that in order to double farmers' income over the period of six years 2016-17 to 2021-22, in real terms the desired compound annual growth will have to be much higher than that achieved so far. The committee will recommend the desired growth rate, he added.
Replying to a supplementary query raised by Telugu Desam
Party leader C M Ramesh on implementation of e-NAM, the Minister said states were being pursued to amend their respective APMC law to facilitate integration of mandis with an online trading platform.

So far, 18 states and one Union Territory have amended fully or partially their APMC laws. "So far, we have received proposal for integration of 365 mandis. Of which, 23 mandis in eight states have been integrated so far."
About 17,000 farmers have been registered on the platform and about Rs 108 crore worth of sales have been executed so far, he said.
The government is aiming to bring as many as 200 mandis to the online platform by September this year and 585 mandis by 2018, he added.
To another query on a separate agri-budget, the Minister said "the government does not have any such views. More funds have been allocated under various schemes.