Agriculture Budget | Union Budget 2023-24 | Key Provisions for Agriculture Sector

Agriculture-Union-Budget-2023

Introduction :

Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman Presented the Union Budget for 2023-24 which is First budget of 'Amrit kaal'.

Budget adopts the following seven priorities ‘Saptarishi’ :

1) Inclusive Development

2) Reaching the Last Mile

3) Infrastructure and Investment

4) Unleashing the Potential

5) Green Growth

6) Youth Power

7) Financial Sector

Inclusive Development :

Under this budget includes Agriculture, Health, Education and Skilling.

From which we will Focus Mainly on Agriculture Budget.

Agriculture and Cooperation : Key Provisions

Minister of Finance For the Financial Year 2023-24 Union Budget many key provisions are made for Agriculture and Farmers welfare.

• Total 1.25 Lakh Crore Rupees allocated for Agriculture Sector.

• Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture : 

It will be built as an open source, open standard and inter operable public good which will be beneficial in services for crop planning and health, crop estimation, market intelligence, and support for growth of agri-tech industry and start-ups. It means Modernization of Agriculture sector by linking Agriculture with technology.

     Provision of Rs 450 crore has been made for the Digital Agriculture Mission started by the Modi Government, and about Rs. 600 crore allocated for the promotion of Agriculture sector through technology.

• Agriculture Accelerator Fund : 

An Agriculture Accelerator Fund will be set-up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs in rural areas. The Fund will aim at bringing innovative and affordable solutions for challenges faced by farmers.

• Enhancing productivity of cotton crop :

Adoption a cluster-based and value chain approach through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to enhance Productivity of long staple cotton. This will mean collaboration between farmers, state and industry for input supplies, extension services, and market linkages.

• Atmanirbhar Horticulture Clean Plant Program :

To boost availability of disease-free, quality planting material for high value horticultural crops at an outlay of 2,200 crore Rupees.

• Agriculture Credit :

Agricultural loan target has been increased to Rs 20 lakh crore by focusing Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries.

• Global Hub for Millets: ‘Shree Anna’ :

India is largest producer and second largest exporter of ‘Shree Anna’ in the world. We grow several types of 'Shree Anna' such as jowar, ragi, bajra, kuttu, ramdana, kangni, kutki, kodo, cheena, and sama. These have a number of health benefits, and have been an integral part of our food for centuries. To make India a global hub for 'Shree Anna', the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), Hyderabad will be supported as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices, research and technologies at the international level.

• Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) :

Government has already initiated computerisation of 63,000 PACS with an investment of 2,516 crore Rupees. Enabling them to become multipurpose PACS. A national cooperative database is being prepared for country-wide mapping of cooperative societies.

• Farmers Producer Organization (FPO's) :

While organizing Small and Medium Farmers through FPOs, a target has been set to provide them all facilities related to agriculture, for which 10,000 new FPOs are being constituted.

       Budget provision of 955 crore Rupees has been earmarked for the formation of new FPOs this year, while the Agriculture Infra Fund and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, beneficial for the farmers, are also being promoted.

• Massive Storage Capacity :

A plan to set up massive decentralised storage capacity. This will help farmers store their produce and realize remunerative prices through sale at appropriate times. The government will also facilitate setting up of a large number of multipurpose cooperative societies, primary fishery societies and dairy cooperative societies in uncovered panchayats and villages in the next 5 years.

• Promoting Natural Farming :

Initiative to make Natural Farming a mass movement, for which a provision of Rs 459 crore has been made, for which 10,000 Bio Input Research Centers will be opened. To empower 10 million farmers to switch to natural farming. 

• PM-Kisan :

Provision of Rs. 60,000 crore has been made for the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-Kisan) which benefits all over India.

• Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme :

About 86% small farmers who taken benefit of this Scheme in country. To continue avail benefit Rs. 23,000 crore has been allocated.

• PM-PRANAM :

“PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth” will be launched to States and Union Territories to promote alternative fertilizers and balanced use of chemical fertilizers.

• MISHTI :

‘Mangrove Initiative For Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes’, MISHTI, will be taken up for mangrove plantation along the coastline and on salt pan lands, wherever feasible, through convergence between MGNREGA, CAMPA Fund and other sources.

• Marine Products :

Marine products recorded the highest export growth benefitting farmers in the coastal states of the country. To further enhance the export competitiveness of marine products, particularly shrimps, duty is being reduced on key inputs for domestic manufacture of shrimp feed.

• PM Matsya Sampada Yojana :

It will be introduced with a targeted investment of Rs.6,000 crore to enable the activities of fish vendors, fishermen, and micro and small businesses, increase the efficiency of the value chain, and broaden the market related to Fishery.

• Food and nutritional security is one of the priorities of the Union Government, for which the budget has been hiked to Rs 1,623 crore.

• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) :

80 crore people are being given free ration under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, which is being run for the poor since the time of the Covid epidemic, and now this scheme has been extended in the budget for another year.

 "Budget aims at inclusive and comprehensive development of farmers, besides the poor and middle class, women and the youth" - Shri Narendra Singh Tomar Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister

Read Also :

 • Diversified Opportunities for Agriculture Graduate

• Books to Prepare for Agriculture Exams