Alluding slew of measures help agriculture, fisheries sector, FM Sitharaman slates to develop farmers on larger map

New Delhi, November 12: "The Modi led government has put rural and farmer development on a larger map. It is aiming at forming about 10,000 farmer produce organisations", affirmed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, further mentioning a slew of measures to help farmers, agriculture and also fisheries sector.

 

Revealing while addressing the 6th World Congress on Rural and Agri Finance, Sitharaman said that the direct benefit transfer usage of Aadhaar would help avoid pilferage of financial help being given to the farming community. "The government has thus been able to save money that would have otherwise gone to unknown people", she added.

 

 

"The Centre offers Rs 6,000 to each farmer and the state governments provide some funds. For instance, in Andhra Pradesh, besides the Rs 6,000 from centre and additional funding from the state, each farmer gets Rs 13,000", she affirmed.

 

On February 24, PM Modi had launched the ambitious Rs 75,000 crore PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN) in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh by digitally transferring the first installment of Rs 2,000 to the accounts of over 1 crore small and marginal farmers.

Also in the interim Budget 2019-20, the central government had announced the PM-KISAN scheme under which Rs 6,000 per year would be given in three installments to 12 crore small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares.

 

"The Centre meanwhile is pushing for eNAM or National Agriculture Market and the state governments are being cajoled into rejecting non banking finance companies", Sitharaman said. eNAM is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India. The market facilitates farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities. "I wish states would dismantle the APMCs and move towards eNAM," Sitharaman said.

 

The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) is a marketing board established by state governments to ensure farmers are safeguarded from exploitation by large retailers, as well as ensuring the farm to retail price spread does not reach excessively high.