The ministry has allocated Rs. 1.52 lakh crore for agriculture and allied sector. Here are key highlights of the agriculture and fisheries sectors from Union Buget 2024-25:
Nirmala Sitharaman. Pic/ Pallavi Pallav
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Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a bounty of schemes focused on the agriculture and allied sector while presenting the Union Budget 2024-25. The ministry has allocated Rs. 1.52 lakh crore for agriculture and allied sector.
"Our government will undertake a comprehensive review of the agriculture research setup to bring the focus on raising productivity and developing climate resilient varieties," said Sitharaman in her speech.
Presenting the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, she said subsequent budgets will build on nine priorities. The priorities include Productivity and Resilience in Agriculture, Employment and Skilling and Manufacturing and Services.
Here are key highlights of the agriculture and fisheries sectors from Union Budget 2024-25:
- New 109 high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties of 32 field and horticulture crops will be released for cultivation by farmers.
- In the next two years, 1 crore farmers across the country will be initiated into natural farming supported by certification and branding.
- Implementation will be through scientific institutions and willing gram panchayats.
- 10,000 need-based bio-input resource centres will be established.
- Funding will be provided in challenge mode, including to the private sector. Domain experts both from the government and outside will oversee the conduct of such research.
- For achieving self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds, the government will strengthen their production, storage and marketing.
- As announced in the interim budget, a strategy is being put in place to achieve âatmanirbharta' for oil seeds such as mustard, groundnut, sesame, soybean, and sunflower.
- Large scale clusters for vegetable production will be developed closer to major consumption centres. The government will promote Farmer-Producer Organizations, cooperatives and start-ups for vegetable supply chains including for collection, storage, and marketing
- Buoyed by the success of the pilot project, the government, in partnership with the states, will facilitate the implementation of the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in agriculture for coverage of farmers and their lands in 3 years.
- During this year, digital crop survey for Kharif using the DPI will be taken up in 400 districts. The details of 6 crore farmers and their lands will be brought into the farmer and land registries.
- Further, the issuance of Jan Samarth based Kisan Credit Cards will be enabled in 5 states.
- Financial support for setting up a network of Nucleus Breeding Centres for Shrimp Broodstocks will be provided.
- Financing for shrimp farming, processing and export will be facilitated through NABARD.
- Our government will bring out a National Cooperation Policy for systematic, orderly and all-round development of the cooperative sector.
- Fast-tracking growth of rural economy and generation of employment opportunities on a large scale will be the policy goal.
