New Delhi: Agriculture experts have emphasised a clear policy to provide direct benefits for tenants and small landholders as they several times are left behind to avail benefits of schemes. Expressing these views, experts say most of the time tenants and small landholders are left to get the benefits of schemes because there are no proper directives for tenant farmers.
Talking about the issue, Dharmendra Malik, an agriculture expert, told ETV Bharat, “Tenant farmers don’t have any identity because there is no data related to such farmers following which they don’t get crop insurance, Kisan Credit Card, and subsidy as these are provided to landholder farmers. Telangana state has a model where KCC facility is being provided to tenant farmers but these facilities should be given to all farmers.”
Seconding this view, farmer Sukhwinder Kaur told ETV Bharat, “Several small landholder farmers don’t get proper benefits of schemes. For example, there was a scheme in which if a farmer buys a tractor, he/she would get a good amount of subsidy, but small landholders could not purchase the tractor because of their low buying capacity.”
“Similarly, in the paddy stubble management, most of the time small landholders have to struggle to arrange machines for making paddy bundles, which is a costly affair for them,” Kaur said.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the centrally sponsored scheme “Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms” is implemented across 739 districts in 28 states and 5 Union Territories. The scheme provides decentralised farmers-friendly extension through different activities like farmers' training, demonstrations, and exposure visits.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) disseminates the latest technologies in agriculture and allied sectors, among the farmers. The government engages with farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural policy formulation from time to time, the ministry recently said.
A farmer leader Amarjeet Singh Mohri told ETV Bharat, “Small landholder farmers often don’t get loans because banks doubt their payback capacity and second thing, these farmers are not well aware of beneficiary schemes and subsidies as a result they remain behind to avail these opportunities.”
Amarpal Singh, a farmer, told ETV Bharat, "I have a small piece of land where I often sow sugarcane. However, I don't receive payment for my sugarcane on time, which makes it difficult for me to plant a second crop."
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme launched in 2019 to supplement the financial needs of land-holding farmers, subject to exclusions. Under the scheme, the financial benefit is transferred in three equal four-monthly instalments into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country, as per ministry information.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
PMFBY was launched in 2016 in order to provide a simple and affordable crop insurance product to ensure comprehensive risk cover for crops to farmers against all non-preventable natural risks from pre-sowing to post-harvest and to provide adequate claim amounts, the ministry earlier said.
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund
The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund was introduced with a vision to transform the agriculture infrastructure landscape of the country. AIF is a medium - long-term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and credit guarantee support, it said.
Soil Health Card
Soil health card provides information to farmers on the nutrient status of their soil along with recommendations on appropriate dosages of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and fertility.
