Budget 2025: Sitharaman announces measures aimed at benefiting 1.7cr farmers
What's the story
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a slew of initiatives to strengthen India's agriculture sector.
The measures will benefit nearly 1.75 crore farmers across the nation.
"Prime Minister Krishi Yojana is developing an Agri Districts Programme. Motivated by the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme, our government, in partnership with states, will launch the Prime Minister Krishi Yojana to enhance agricultural development," said Sitharaman.
Program details
PM Krishi Yojana: A strategy for agricultural development
The Prime Minister Krishi Yojana is a strategic plan that will be implemented in collaboration with state governments.
It seeks to converge existing schemes and introduce specialized measures to boost agricultural productivity.
The program will initially focus on 100 districts identified as having low agricultural output and will expand its reach over time.
Agricultural improvement
Enhancing productivity and promoting sustainable practices
The Prime Minister Krishi Yojana also seeks to solve problems of low crop intensity and below-average credit parameters in focus districts.
The scheme incentivizes farmers to diversify their crops and adopt sustainable agricultural practices.
It also intends to enhance post-harvest storage facilities at the Panchayat and block levels, thereby further empowering farmers in these areas.
Previous initiatives
Government's continued commitment to agricultural sector
In the last fiscal year, the government had allocated ₹1.52 lakh crore for the agriculture sector.
Sitharaman had also announced plans to introduce 109 high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties of 32 field and horticulture crops for farmers to cultivate.
These measures were part of a larger strategy to tackle production shortages in major food grain crops such as pulses, wheat, rice, and oilseeds.