Govt won't tolerate irregularities in agriculture sector: Shivraj

The government does not tolerate irregularities and will take action if anyone is found guilty of indulging in corruption, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday amid allegations of corruption in Maharastra's agriculture department.

Chouhan was responding to an allegation levelled by NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, who quoted a minister and an MLA of Maharashtra of talking about alleged corruption to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore in the state's agriculture department.

"This is for the first time I am hearing. I don't know what is the real position. But if there is any irregularity anywhere, we will conduct an inquiry and action will be taken against the guilty," he said in the Lok Sabha.

Replying to another question, the minister said that so far 23 states and union territories have implemented the centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) while the rest are yet to accept it.

"It is the largest crop insurance scheme in the world. Some states are continuing with their own crop insurance schemes. We have apprised them about the benefits of the PMFBY and have requested them to implement it," he said.

The PMFBY aims to support production in agriculture by providing affordable crop insurance to ensure comprehensive risk cover for crops of farmers against all non-preventable natural risks from pre-sowing to post-harvest stage, on an 'Area Approach Basis'.

Replying yet another question, Chouhan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's priority is to increase the income of the country's farmers.

"In coconut production, India is the top country in the world and we have been able to increase the coconut production from 140 lakh metric tonnes to 153 lakh metric tonnes in a very short period of time," he said.