Parliament Question: Financial Assistance to Farmers in Kerala

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS’ WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS’ WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 636 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 03RD FEBRUARY, 2026 < FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS IN KERALA 636. SHRI N K PREMACHANDRAN: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS’ WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी be pleased to state: (a) whether the Union Government analysed impact of climate change and natural disasters agricultural sector in Kerala, if so the details thereof and action taken to resolve the same; (b) whether the Government proposes to formulate a master plan for resolving the issues of farmers in Kerala, If so the details thereof; (c) whether the Government proposes to ensure Minimum Support Price for paddy, coconut and other major crops produced in Kerala, If so the details thereof; (d) whether the Union Government proposes to provide special assistance to Kerala for establishing a strong marketing network so as to avoid the exploitation by middle man, If so the details thereof; and (e) whether the Government proposes to provide sufficient financial assistance to farmers in Kerala, If so the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a) & (b): Government supports nationwide climate-resilience programmes in agriculture, implemented in collaboration with State Governments including the State of Kerala. 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, conducts district level risk and vulnerability assessment of agriculture to future climate change. Risk and vulnerability assessment of agriculture to climate change has been carried out at district-level for 651 predominantly agricultural districts as per Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocols. Out of 310 districts identified as vulnerable, 109 districts have been categorized as ‘very high’ in terms ofclimate vulnerability out of which 8 Districts are in the State of Kerala. District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) for these 651 districts have also been prepared to address weather aberrations and recommending location specific climate resilient crops and varieties and management practices for use by the State Departments of Agriculture. Under NICRA, 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 through KVKs in 448 model Climate Resilient Villages out of which 11 villages are in Kerala. Considering the challenge pose by climate change in agriculture, several schemes have been initiated under National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture to deal with the adverse climate situations in the agriculture sector. Per Drop More Crop scheme was launched during 2015-16 to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation technologies i.e. drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. Rainfed Area Development scheme is being implemented to promote Integrated Farming System (IFS) for enhancing productivity and minimizing risks associated with climatic variability. The Soil Health Card (SHC) / Soil Health Management (SHM) scheme is implemented to assist states in promoting Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) through judicious use of fertilizers. The Government is promoting organic farming in the country since 2015-16 through the schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and natural farming through National Mission on Natural Farming. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Agroforestry & National Bamboo Mission also promote climate resilience in agriculture. Further, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana along with weather index based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme provides a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crops. (c): Government fixes Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for twenty-two (22) mandated crops, for the country as a whole and not region specific, based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) after considering the views of concerned State Governments and Central Ministries/Departments. The 22 mandated crops include 14 Kharif crops viz. paddy, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, tur (arhar), moong, urad, groundnut, soyabean, sunflower, sesamum, nigerseed, cotton and 6 Rabi crops viz. wheat, barley, gram, masur (lentil), rapeseed & mustard, safflower and two commercial crops viz. jute and copra.(d) & (e): The Union Government has taken several steps to strengthen agricultural marketing systems and provide financial support to farmers, including those in Kerala. The Government is implementing Electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), which is a pan-India electronic trading portal that networks existing Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities. e- NAM is a virtual market platform with a physical market infrastructure at the backend. At present, 247 agricultural commodities are available for trading on the e-NAM platform. As on date, six (6) mandis in Kerala have been on boarded on e-NAM portal (Annexure-I). e- NAM platform enables farmers to directly sell their produce to buyers, thereby reducing the role of middlemen and ensuring better price discovery and transparency. It provides farmers access to wider markets, real-time price information, and electronic payment systems, ensuring timely and secure payments. Further, facilities such as quality assaying, competitive online bidding, and market intelligence under e-NAM empower farmers to take informed decisions and maximize their returns. The e-NAM application is available both through web and mobile platforms, and tutorial videos are also available on social media to facilitate ease of use.Through e-NAM, farmers can obtain information about nearby e- NAM mandis within a 100 km radius, along with route maps and prevailing prices, enabling them to choose the most suitable market for selling their produce. Further, to ensure access to markets and improving their market linkages, 176 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) have also been formed in Kerala facilitating farmers to sell their produce at fair price through these FPOs. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare conducts weekly webinar facilitating direct interaction between FPOs and large institutional buyers for exploring business opportunities. FPOs also market their produce online through the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform, enabling wider market access and better price realization for farmersAnnexure – I List of e-NAM Mandi's; State of Kerala S. No Date of Integration Mandi (as per Mandi Board) 1 07-05-2020 Arwm Muvattupuzha 2 07-05-2020 Arwm Nedumangad 3 08-05-2020 Arwm Sultan Barthery 4 07-05-2020 Auwm Anayara 5 08-05-2020 Auwm Maradu 6 12-05-2020 Auwm Vengeri *****