Parliament Question: Impact of Irregular Rainfall on Farmer's Income

O.I.H GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 457 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24TH MARCH, 2026 IMPACT OF IRREGULAR RAINFALL ON FARMER'S INCOME *457. SHRI BAJRANG MANOHAR SONWANE: 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 income of farmers is being adversely affected due to irregular rainfall, receding groundwater levels and limited irrigation resources in the Beed district of Maharashtra and optimum capacity of agricultural production is not being achieved; (b) if so, the details of the schemes currently being implemented by the Union Government to increase income of farmers, mitigate drought effects and make modern agricultural technology available to them; (c)whether the Government has prepared any proposal to prioritise special agricultural packages, expansion of micro-irrigation, crop diversification and water conservation projects for drought affected areas like Beed; (d) whether a demand to direct water from Ujani Dam to Manjra Dam is being made to address the water crisis in the Marathwada region; and (e) if so, the current status of the proposal, estimated cost and the time by which the work under the said proposal is likely to be completed? ANSWER MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN) (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 457 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24TH MARCH, 2026 REGARDING “IMPACT OF IRREGULAR RAINFALL ON FARMER'S INCOME” (a) & (b): As reported by State Govt. of Maharashtra, Beed district in State of Maharashtra is one of the districts having low cropping intensity, low productivity and low institutional credit to farmers as compared to other districts of the State. To enhance agricultural productivity, promote crop diversification and sustainable agricultural practices, Government launched PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) during 2025 for a period of six years beginning from 2025-26 covering 100 districts in the country with low productivity, moderate crop intensity and below-average credit parameters. Beed is one of the District covered under the Scheme. The Scheme is implemented through convergence of 36 existing schemes across 11 Departments/Ministries along with State schemes and private sector participation. District Action Plans are prepared and implemented by District-level Committees to address local constraints. The Government is implementing various Centrally sponsored and Central sector Schemes through State Governments for enhancing productivity and sustainability of the agriculture in the country including State of Maharashtra. The schemes of the Department of Agriculture And Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) under implementation are given at Annexure I. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was launched during the year 2015-16, with an aim to enhance physical access of water on farm and expand cultivable areas under assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use efficiency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices, etc. 29 major and medium irrigation projects in the State of Maharashtra have been taken up for funding under PMKSY-Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Program (AIBP) and 4.16 lakh hectare irrigation potential has been created and 2.71 lakh hectare command area has been developed. One project namely Upper Kundalika Project benefits Beed district of Maharashtra with 2.80 thousand hectare irrigation potential created under this project. Besides, under special package for Maharashtra eight major and medium irrigation projects and 83 surface minor irrigation (SMI) scheme in Vidarbha, Marathwada and rest of Maharashtra region have been sanctioned. Three major and medium projects and 73 SMI have been completed with 2.16 lakh hectare irrigation potential created. One Surface Minor Irrigation project namely Satra Potra S.T. included under Maharashtra Package benefits Beed district with 790 hectare irrigation potential created.As per the National Policy on Disaster Management, State Govt. is primarily responsible for providing relief measures in case of notified calamities including drought from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) in accordance with the approved items and norms. In case of disaster of severe nature, additional financial assistance is also provided over and above SDRF from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) as per approved norms. In Maharashtra during last two years and current year Rs. 6684.8 crore has been released under NDRF/ SDRF. (c): Further the Govt. implements various schemes to make Indian agriculture a sustainable production system. Organic farming is promoted through Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and natural farming through National Mission on Natural Farming. “Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses”, National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-OS), and National Food Security & Nutrition Mission promotes crop diversification. Under NMEO-OS (since inception i.e. 2024-25) 67468 ha value chain clusters have been developed and advanced technologies have been demonstrated on 43453 ha area. DA&FW is also implementing Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme since 2015-16 in the country. The scheme focuses on enhancing water use efficiency at farm level through micro irrigation systems such as drip and sprinkler irrigation. An area of 7.69 lakh ha has been covered under micro irrigation during last five years and current year in Maharashtra out of which 32,054 hectare covered in Beed district. Further, Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana 2.0 (WDC-PMKSY 2.0) being implemented by Department of Land Resources in the Country aims at water conservation. Under WDC- PMKSY 2.0, out of 140 watershed development projects sanctioned in Maharashtra during year 2021-22, 3 projects are in Beed District covering an area of 10,642.41 hectare. (d) & (e): As per the information received from Government of Maharashtra, there is no such proposal.Annexure I Schemes under of Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare 1) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) – To ensure saturation of eligible farmers in 100 districts. 2) Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)/ Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) 3) Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) - Provides concessional short term agricultural loans to farmers through Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs). 4) Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) - To provide medium to long-term debt financing for viable projects focused on post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets. 5) Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing (ISAM) – Post-harvest infrastructure 6) Formation and Promotion of 10,000 new Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs) –To leverage economies of scale in collectives of small & marginal farmers for both agricultural inputs and agro-produce. All FPOs are already registered - focus will be on scaling & market linkages. 7) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) - To ensure farmers receive remunerative prices for their produce and to stabilize market prices. 8) National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) – To encourage on farm agricultural inputs and reduce cost of cultivation. 9) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) – To promote organic farming. 10) Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) – Focused and widespread adoption of Micro-irrigation. 11) Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM) - To promote agricultural mechanization and improve farming efficiency. Establishing FMB / CHC with reasonable rentals. District level uberization models. 12) Namo Drone Didi - Empowering women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by providing them with drones to offer agricultural services to farmers. 13) Soil Health & Fertility (SH&F) – For encourage appropriate fertilizer & inputs. Outreach for advisories and School Soil Health Program. 14) National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) - On increasing food production, particularly for rice, wheat, pulses, and coarse cereals, while also promoting nutritional security through various interventions.15) Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) - Aimed at the holistic development of the horticulture sector and promote diversification / value addition / cold chains. 16) National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oilseeds - Aimed at boosting domestic oilseed production and achieving self-sufficiency in edible oils through clusters and value chain partners. 17) National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oil Palm - In selected states, oil palm as plantation crop with high returns. 18) Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region – To promote organic farming in the North Eastern states of India 19) Digital Agriculture Mission – Development of digital public infrastructure for agriculture 20) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY)- Provides pension support (Rs. 3000/month) to small and marginal farmers after age 60. 21) Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS)- Offers insurance against adverse weather conditions like drought, rainfall, and temperature variations. 22) Agri Fund for Start-ups & Rural Enterprises (AgriSURE)- Supports agri-startups and rural enterprises through funding and incubation. 23) Sub-Mission on Agricultural Extension (SMAE)- Strengthens farmer awareness and advisory services through training, demonstrations, and ICT. 24) Sub-Mission on Seed & Planting Material (SMSP)- Ensures availability of quality seeds and planting material to improve crop productivity. 25) National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM)- Promotes beekeeping for income generation and pollination support. 26) Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCD-NER)- Develops organic farming value chains in North East India from production to marketing. 27) Market Intervention Scheme & Price Support Scheme (MIS-PSS)- Protects farmers by procurement and price stabilization for crops during market distress. 28) PM- Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).- Provides flexible funding to states for agriculture and allied sector development. *****