As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present her first Union Budget, one sector that needs special attention is agriculture. Structural changes are the need of the hour in the sector, which lacks basic infrastructure. Proper roads connecting the farms to the nearest mandis, safe warehouses and other facilities at the markets, agro-processing units located near mandis — all these will give the farm sector the huge boost it needs, and will address farmers’ suffering caused by the poor policies in place until now. Given the water crisis in the country, there should be increased allocation to micro-irrigation schemes and water conservation projects.
Expectations are high that there will be increased allocations to key schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana , eNAm, Soil Health Card Scheme and also higher allocation for the Price Support Scheme and the Market Allocation Scheme. It is also hoped that the agricultural credit target may be increased.
In this video, Deputy Editor Rajalakshmi Nirmal explains what is troubling the farmers and what they expect from the Budget.