A number of steps
were initiated during the year to mitigate the suffering of farmers
affected by drought. Ministry also launched farmer friendly schemes
particularly for the benefit of small and marginal farmers. These
schemes aim at creating additional irrigation potential, providing
better market excess, credit and extension facilities.
Relief measures announced
by the Government include complete waiver of interest liability
of farmers on this years’ kharif loans in the drought affected
States, agriculture input subsidy up to two hectare limit to all
drought affected farmers and additional Rs. 25 crores assistance
for maintenance of Gaushalas. Besides, the Government has distributed
38 lakh MT of food-grains costing Rs. 4,000 crores for providing
employment in drought affected States and released Rs. 2,000 crores
from Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) and National Calamity Contingency
Fund (NCCF) to affected States. Short-term loans of the farmers
were converted into medium term loans. Facility of free transport
of water and fodder has been provided to Rajasthan, one of the
worst affected States, up to June, 2003. The State has also been
provided with an assistance of Rs. 12 crores for Gaushalas.
Government had announced
Minimum Support Prices for the crop year 2002-2003 on the basis
of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs
and Prices (CACP) but in view of the drought situation one-time
special drought relief price has been announced for various commodities.
These range from Rs. 20 per quintal for Paddy, Jowar, Copra, Sesamum
etc., Rs. 15 per quintal for Sunflower seed, Rs. 10 per quintal
for Bajra and Soyabean and Rs. 5 for various Pulses. An increase
of Rs. 5 per quintal in Statutory Minimum Price (SMP) has been
announced for sugarcane farmers in all States.
The Indian Council
of Agricultural Research has also formulated a scheme to combat
drought through short-term and long-term strategies. An unprecedented
–30% deficient rainfall during July resulted in drought condition
in several States worst sufferers were Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka,
Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Around 158 lakh hectares
out of 905 lakh hectares sown normally during kharif had 50% damage
or more while approximately 20% area could not be sown.
Because of the current
drought the total loss of production during kharif is estimated
to be around 19.84 million tonnes. However, India remains the
world’s second larger exporter of rice and fifth larger exporter
of wheat. In the first six months of 2002-03, as compared to the
same period last year, rice exports have gone up by five times
to 3.7 million tonnes and wheat exports are up by 50% to 2.2 million
tonnes.
Agri-clinic &
Agri-business Centres
The Ministry of Agriculture
has recently launched a unique programme to take improved methods
of farming to each and every farmer across the country. This programme
aims to tap the expertise available in the large pool of agricultural
graduates to set up agri-clinic and agri-business centers and
offer professional extension services to farmers. Start of training
is also being provided to graduates in agriculture or allied subjects.
They can apply for special start up loans after completing the
training. Agri-clinics and agri-business centers would provide
paid services for enhancement of agricultural production and income
of farmers.
Rural Godown
Scheme
In order to create
scientific storage facility for agricultural produce a scheme
of construction, renovation and expansion of rural godowns has
been launched. The scheme provides facility of pledge financing
and marketing credit and his helpful in preventing distress sale
by small and marginal farmers immediately after harvest. Under
the scheme creation of new 18.3 lakh MTs and renovation of 1.5
lakh tonnes of rural storage capacity has been targeted. This
is to be achieved by the end of the current financial year. The
Government of India will provide financial assistance of Rs. 90
crores by way of subsidy.
On-Farm Water
Management in North-Eastern Region
With its abandoned
water resources and favorable soil structure the region has the
potential substantially increasing the productivity of different
crops. To fully exploit the potential of ground water in the region
a new scheme has been launched in 171 districts of U.P., Bihar,
Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Manipur, Mizoram
and Arunachal Pradesh. The scheme will be financed through bank
loan. Government will give a back-ended subsidy. A sum of Rs.
15 crores has been given to NABARD during 2001-2002 to meet the
expenditure on subsidy on the loan sanctioned under this scheme.
New Law on Multi-State
Cooperative Societies
The Government has
enacted new liberalized Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS)
Act 2002 replacing MSCS Act of 1984. The objective of the new
Act is to remove restrictive provisions and provide full functional
autonomy and a democratic management to the cooperative societies
so that they may become vibrant, self-reliant and a dynamic economic
enterprise. The Central Government is now pursuing with the State
Governments to implement the legislative and policy reforms in
the cooperative sector.
New Initiative
for Fisheries Development
To augment fish production
in the inland sector in selected States four new pilot schemes
with 100% Central assistance have been taken up. These include
–
1. Integrated development
of inland capture fisheries in Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh
and Uttar Pradesh at a Central assistance of Rs. 86.87 lakhs.
2. Development of
fisheries and aquaculture in hill regions in States of Jammu &
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim & Uttaranchal. An amount
of Rs. 400 lakhs was released under the scheme.
3. Development of
waterlogged areas into aquaculture estates in Bihar, Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh with a central assistance of Rs. 96.68 lakhs.
4. Utilization of
inland saline soil for aqua culture in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh
with a central assistance of Rs. 76 lakhs.
Rice Genome
Project
ICAR has successfully
participated in the world rice genome project. It has sequenced
rice genome from the long arm of chromosome 11 between map positions
57.3 cM to 84.3 cM and further to identify genes and markers of
agricultural importance using the rice genome sequence data. Till
date physical map region of the chromosome 11 assigned to the
National Research Centre for Planned Bio-technology (NRCPB) has
been developed and more than 2 Mb data have been submitted to
the GenBank after sequencing. Once the project is completed it
will have revolutionary impact on rice farming and production.
