Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced an allocation of Rs 1.52 trillion for agriculture and allied sectors in the Budget 2024-25. Describing agriculture as a key focus for the government, she said productivity and resilience will be the focus in policy formulation.
She said 10 million farmers are expected to take up natural farming in the next two years and a comprehensive review of research to develop climate-resilient seeds will be undertaken. As part of the 100-day programme, 109 new seed varieties across 32 field and horticulture crops are expected to be launched soon.
The new announcements include rollout of Jan Samat-based Kisan Credit Card in five states, loans through NABARD for shrimp farming and exports, and digital crop survey in 400 districts starting from the current kharhu season.
Sitharaman said the government will bring in the National Cooperation Policy for the overall development of the country. The policy objective will be to accelerate the growth of the rural economy and create employment opportunities, she said. The draft policy was submitted last year by an expert committee headed by former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu.
Presenting the Budget for 2024-25, she said the central government will work with state governments to promote digital public infrastructure for agriculture. It will also boost production, storage and marketing of pulses, she said.
The government is taking steps to increase supply of fruits and vegetables to the market and will promote large-scale vegetable cultivation to increase production, she added.
She also reiterated the mission on pulses and oilseeds production, including strategies to make the country self-sufficient in the production of mustard, groundnut, sesame, soybean and sunflower.
