New Delhi: The Centre is planning to chalk out a policy for the lease-holding farmers to provide them direct government schemes benefits including Fasal Bima Yojana, subsidy on fertilizers, insurance, and right rates on agri-produce.
Currently, over lakhs of lease land-holding farmers are deprived of these facilities due to the absence of a clear policy regarding their status as a result benefits transfers to land owners.
Describing the land lease farmers’ issue, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “The Centre is planning to work out a proper system for lease land holding farmers as there is a huge number of farmers those who are working on lease holding lands can get all government scheme benefits including, low-interest loans, subsidy on fertilizers, Kisan Credit Cards, and MSP."
"As the leased land-holding farmers are also working hard for farming, the government will provide facilities to them. Besides this, the government is also working on the market, the right price on agri-produce and training for farmers," Chouhan said.
The farmers said once a clear policy is introduced for tenant and lease-holding farmers, it will help to reduce several legal issues and land controversies.
Agriculture Expert and a farmer of Punjab Sukhwinder Kaur told ETV Bharat, "Tenant and lease holding farming is a big issue for farmers, if a tenant farmer comes on record then a conflict of land ownership starts between tenant and landowner. The government should make a provision in the land lease agreement in which it should be mentioned that a particular person has the land on rent so that he can get the government benefits on his crops. Similarly, it should be mentioned the land owner’s name to avoid land ownership issues."
As per Rajya Sabha data, the Telangana government has reported that they have taken several measures to enhance access to credit to the tenant farmers in Telangana including Telangana banks issuing Joint Liability Groups (Bhoomi Heen-Kisan) for the group including tenant farmers. During the financial year 2024-25, banks have disbursed an amount of Rs 337.35 crores to 68177 groups. The total JLG loan outstanding with banks as of September 30, 2024, was Rs 1109.99 crores extended to 339116 groups (As per 43rd SLBC meeting of Telangana).
The Purpose of the JLG Scheme is to augment the flow of credit to landless farmers cultivating land as tenant farmers, oral lessees or sharecroppers and small/marginal farmers as well as other poor individuals taking up farm activities, off-farm activities and non-farm activities, Rajya Sabha data says. Agriculture experts have emphasised a comprehensive policy for tenants, lease holding and small farmers to avail direct government benefits as they have remained deprived several times.
Agriculture expert Dharmendra Malik told ETV Bharat, "There is no model to provide benefits for tenants or small farmers following which they always left behind to avail the government schemes."
"Most of the time, it is seen that landholders avail all government benefits and tenant farmers remain empty-handed from benefits," Malik said. No specific census or survey of landless farmers has been conducted by the Ministry. Therefore, the exact number of landless farmers and farming on crop sharing basis with land-owners in the country is not available. However, the number of wholly leased-in operational holdings/landless farmers in the country as per the latest Agriculture Census 2015-16 is 5,31,285, as per Lok Sabha data.
