Budget 2022: From Kisan Drones, MSP on wheat, paddy, to natural farming, top 5 announcements made by FM Nirmala Sitharaman today

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced a slew of measures for the agriculture sector and the Indian farm communities. Use of Kisan Drones to be promoted for crop assessment. Chemical-free Natural farming to be promoted throughout the country, with focus on farmers' lands in 5-km-wide corridors along the river Ganga in the first stage, the FM further said.

She was presenting her third full budget 2022 in the Narendra Modi Government 2.0.

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Here are top 5 announcements:

1) Use of ‘Kisan Drones’ will be promoted for crop assessment, digitization of land records, spraying of insecticides, and nutrients.

2) Chemical-free Natural farming to be promoted throughout the country, with focus on farmers' lands in 5-km-wide corridors along the river Ganga in the first stage

3) Scheme in PPP mode to be introduced, for delivery of digital and hi-tech services to Farmers, with involvement of public sector research and extension institutions and stakeholders of agri value chains

4) Startups will support FPOs, provide tech to #Farmers

5) Rationalized and comprehensive scheme to increase domestic production of oil seeds to be implemented, to reduce dependence on import of oil seeds

6) The procurement of wheat in Rabi 2021-22 and the estimated procurement of paddy in Kharif 2021-22 will cover 1208 lakh metric tonnes of wheat and paddy from 163 lakh farmers, and Rs 2.37 lakh crore direct payment of MSP value to their accounts.

7) 2023 has been announced as the International Year of Millets. Support will be provided for post-harvest value addition, enhancing domestic consumption, and for branding millet products nationally and internationally.

8) For delivery of digital and hi-tech services to farmers with involvement of public sector research and extension institutions along with private agri-tech players and stakeholders of agri-value chain, a scheme in PPP mode will be launched.

9) States will be encouraged to revise syllabi of agricultural universities to meet the needs of natural, zero-budget and organic farming, modern-day agriculture, value addition and management.

10) A fund with blended capital, raised under the co-investment model, will be facilitated through NABARD. This is to finance startups for agriculture & rural enterprise, relevant for farm produce value chain. The activities for these startups will include, inter alia, support for FPOs, machinery for farmers on rental basis at farm level, and technology including IT-based support.