Parliament Question: Assessment of adequacy of support provided to farmers

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS’ WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS’ WELFARE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2430 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 13/03/2026 ASSESSMENT OF ADEQUACY OF SUPPORT PROVIDED TO FARMERS 2430. SHRI S. R. SIVALINGAM: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS’ WELFARE be pleased to state: (a) whether government has assessed the adequacy of support to address income instability, climate stress and rising costs, in the context of the Union Budget 2026-27; (b) whether impacts on small and marginal farmers have been evaluated; and (c) the steps proposed to be taken to ensure sustainable improvements in farm livelihoods? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY) (a): In the Union Budget 2026–27, Government has taken adequate measures to address challenges relating to income instability, climate stress and rising costs in the agriculture sector. These include a new multilingual AI-based platform, Bharat-VISTAAR, to provide real-time and personalised advisories to farmers to help them manage risks associated with weather variability, pests and crop management, promotion of crop diversification and cultivation of high-value crops such as coconut, cashew, cocoa, sandalwood and nuts (including walnuts and almonds), to reduce climate vulnerability and enhancing farmers’ income. (b) & (c): Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is implementing a project- National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) that studies the impact of climate change on agriculture and conducts district level risk & vulnerability assessment. Under the project, risk and vulnerability assessment to climate change has been carried out for 651 agricultural districts as per Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocols. 310 districts were identified as vulnerable out of which 109 districts have been categorized as ‘very high’ and 201 districts as ‘highly’ vulnerable. For enhancing the resilience and adaptive capacity of farmers to climate variability, location-specific climate resilient technologies such as system of rice intensification, aerobic rice, direct seeding of rice, zero till wheat sowing, cultivation of climate resilient varieties tolerant to extreme weather conditions such as drought and heat; in-situ incorporation of rice residues etc. have been demonstrated under the project through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). Besides, training programmes are conducted under Agricultural Technology Management Agency on various issues of agricultural practices. ICAR has released 2900 varieties during last 10 years (2014- 2024) of which 2661 varieties are tolerant to one or more biotic and/or abiotic stresses. Several schemes have been initiated under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, to promote sustainable agriculture practices. Per Drop More Crop scheme increases water use efficiency at the farm level through micro irrigation technologies i.e. drip and sprinkler irrigation. Rainfed Area Development focuses on Integrated Farming System for enhancing productivity and minimizing risks associated with climatic variability. The Soil Health & Fertility scheme promotes integrated nutrient management through judicious use of chemical fertilizers. National Mission on Natural Farming, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, Agroforestry, National Bamboo Mission, Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, National Mission on Edible Oils - Oilseeds (NMEO-OS), and National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) also promote climate resilience in agriculture. Further, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana along with weather index based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme provide a comprehensive insurance cover against crop failure by providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of unforeseen natural calamities. *****