Top 5 Government Schemes for Farmers in India

The Agriculture sector in India is responsible for employing 50% of the country’s workforce. And, the sector contributes 17-18% to the country’s GDP on an annual basis.

Here, are the top Government schemes for farmers 

E-NAM

The National Agriculture Market (eNAM) is an online trading platform for agricultural communities in India. Introduced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, the program is controlled by the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC)/

This scheme looks to promote uniformity in agriculture marketing by:

• Streamlining procedures across integrated markets
• Promoting real-time price discovery based on actual demand and supply.
• Integrate Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMCs) across India
• Providing better price discovery through a transparent auction process based on the quality of products and timely online payments.

National Mission For Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is a government initiative to enhance agricultural productivity, especially in monsoon areas that focus on integrated farming, water-use efficiency, soil health management, and synergizing resource conservation.

NMSA is a parent agricultural scheme under which the government implements:

• Water use efficiency
• Nutrient Management
• Livelihood diversification
• The scheme wants to take a progressively sustainable route to adopt environment-friendly technologies, energy-efficient equipment, conservation of natural resources, and integrated farming.

There are other sub-schemes under NMSA like: –

• Rainfed Area Development (RAD)
• Soil Health Management (SHM)
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
• Soil and Land Use Survey of India (SLUSI)
• National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA)
• National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF)
• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)     

“Har Khet ko Pani – More crop per drop”

So, this scheme is aimed at improving water conservation and optimized utilization of resources in the industry.

The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) motto is ‘Har Khet ko Pani’ which seeks to improve irrigation facilities for farmers. And, it also introduces a focused manner with end-to-end solutions for source creation, distribution, management, field application, and extension activities.

Objectives:

• Increased investment in irrigation at the field level
• Expand cultivable area under irrigation
• Improve farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water
• Enhance the adoption of being precise in irrigation and other water-saving technologies (more crop per drop)

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)- Crop Insurance Scheme

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is a Government-sponsored crop insurance scheme that integrates multiple stakeholders on a single platform.

Objectives:

• Provide insurance coverage and financial support to farmers in case crops get damaged due to natural calamities, pests & diseases.
• Stabilize the income of farmers to ensure a steady career and business growth.
• Encourage farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices.
• Ensure positive cash and credit flow in the agriculture sector.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is one of the most popular Government schemes for farmers to promote organic farming in the country. According to the scheme, farmers will be encouraged to form groups or clusters and take to organic farming methods over large areas in the country.

The aim is to form 10,000 clusters over the next three years and bring about five lakh acres of agricultural area under organic farming. So, the scheme also intends to cover certification costs and promote organic farming through traditional resources.

To get the scheme, each cluster or group must have 50 farmers willing to take up organic farming under the PKVY and also possess a total area of at least 50 acres. So, each farmer enrolling in the scheme will be provided INR 20,000 per acre by the government spread over three years time.