The Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture)

The Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture) was unveiled on March 24, 2011. The focus of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation in 2010-11 was on mobilizing higher investment in agriculture, bridging yield gaps, timely and adequate supply of quality inputs, and providing adequate support services to farmers.

The Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana has succeeded as a catalyst for pulling in more public investments for agriculture and allied sectors. This scheme has become exceedingly popular with states on account of flexibility autonomy provided in planning as well as execution. With help from the incentives from this scheme, some States have increased agricultural outlay spectacularly – Chhattisgarh by 892%, Orissa by 730%, Maharashtra by 605%, Tripura by 425% and Bihar by 423%. The other major programmes including the National Food Security Mission, National Horticulture Mission and Extending Green Revolution to the Eastern States - have made significant progress in terms of utilization of funds as well as meeting physical targets.

The availability of quality seeds now stands at over 321 lakh quintals, showing a jump of 2.5 times in five years. Over 8 lakh hectares additional area has been covered since 2009-10 with assistance from the National Mission on Micro Irrigation. Pulses production has seen a jump in the last two years.  Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of all major crops, especially pulses have been raised substantial in the last few years. In 2010-11 too, MSPs for rice, wheat, coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds were raised.

The Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS) was implemented on pilot basis in rabi 2010-11. The new scheme takes panchayat, as against district in the earlier scheme, as a unit for insurance purposes. It has provision also for immediate relief in the event of a loss.

The Department has drafted a National Mission on Seeds with a proposed outlay of Rs. 3,773 crore for a period of five years starting 2011-12 to boost quality seeds production in the country. To meet the challenge posed by climate change, a National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture will be implemented in the country. A fund is also proposed for rehabilitation of sick cooperatives.