Interim Budget 2019: Agri focus increases, but a lot more needs to be done

A big reason for the sharp increase was the shifting of expenditure on interest subvention on short-term credit from the ministry of finance to the allocation for agriculture and allied activities

Farm-gate prices of most commodities have slumped in the four and half years of this government mainly owing to a drop in global commodity prices and oversupply in domestic markets, along with a decline in demand.

Though the first two years, 2014 and 2015, saw back-to-back drought, the production of foodgrains and oilseeds fell marginally.

When the monsoons improved in 2016, output rose, pulling down prices of agriculture commodities and creating a situation of distress in rural areas.

The government in its response has been increasing the budgetary allocation for agriculture and the rural sector and also announced measures to