New Delhi: Ahead of the Union Budget, farmers are expecting the enhancement of agriculture funds for research and new-aged technology in the agri-sector to grow more produce. In addition, subsidies on fertilizer, urea, and machinery which will help farmers to increase farm produce at a low price.
“Over 50 per cent of people are in agriculture work following which the budget should be allocated accordingly. The budget of PM ASHA should be increased threefold, and the agriculture budget should be enhanced by 10 per cent so that it will increase the income of farmers as well as labourers,” Agriculture expert Dharmendra Malik told ETV Bharat.
Experts said they are hopeful that the government will keep the main focus on agriculture, education and health for the betterment of people as well as farmers across the country. “We expect that the government will provide relief to the farmers by doubling the funds of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi because last two times it was 60,000 crore,” Malik said.
Experts are expecting that more budget funds will be spent on agriculture research and infrastructure for introducing cutting-edge technology.
As per Economic Survey 2023-24, in the last five years, the agriculture sector has grown at an average growth rate of 4.18 per cent per year. The country also has a comfortable stock of foodgrains, around 40 per cent of which is distributed to two-thirds of the population free of cost. India exports more than 7 per cent of its food grains. The growth in the agriculture and allied sectors has contributed positively to the growth of the Indian economy.
According to the Economic Survey, the digitization initiatives in Agriculture are expected to empower farmers through better decision-making tools. The chapter also discusses welfare schemes like PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana (PMGKAY), the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and India’s food management programme, including food procurement and allocation.
“From the upcoming budget, we expect subsidies on fertilizer, urea, and machinery related to the agriculture sector which will provide big relief to us,” a Farmer of Jodhpur, Chanda Ram, told ETV Bharat.
Expressing a similar feeling, Uttar Pradesh’s farmer Amar Pal told ETV Bharat, “I hope the government will make provision to develop more and more farm produce storage warehouse facilities and modern infrastructure for farmers.”
As per Economic Survey 2023-24, the Indian agriculture sector provides livelihood support to about 42.3 per cent of the population and has a share of 18.2 per cent in the country’s GDP at current prices. The sector has been buoyant, which is evident from the fact that it has registered an average annual growth rate of 4.18 per cent at constant prices over the last five years.
