Parliament Question: Market access and remunerative prices for small and marginal farmers in Bihar

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 233 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13/03/2026 MARKET ACCESS AND REMUNERATIVE PRICES FOR SMALL AND MARGINAL FARMERS IN BIHAR *233. SHRI AKHILESH PRASAD SINGH: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE be pleased to state: (a) whether small and marginal farmers in Bihar face difficulties in accessing organized markets and obtaining remunerative prices for their produce; (b) the number of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) functioning in Patna and adjoining districts; (c) whether support for post-harvest infrastructure, storage and market linkage has been provided; and (d) the steps taken to enhance farm income, reduce distress sales and strengthen market access for farmers in the State? ANSWER MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (SHRI SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN) (a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 233 FOR 13/03/2026 REGARDING ‘MARKET ACCESS AND REMUNERATIVE PRICES FOR SMALL AND MARGINAL FARMERS IN BIHAR” (a): As informed by Government of Bihar, presently 53 agriculture market yards are there in the State. In order to facilitate market linkage for small and marginal farmers, 16 market yards are under renovation and 6 market yards have already been renovated under the State plan. The market yards are developed to suit the needs of the small and marginal farmers in accessing remunerative prices for their goods. After repeal of the Bihar Agriculture Produce Market Act 1960, these market yards have turned into free access markets abolishing the entry and other taxes. Additionally, under the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) scheme, 1,656 mandis across the country have been integrated with the electronic trading platform, of which 20 mandis are located in Bihar, enabling farmers and traders to access wider markets and transparent price discovery. Till now, 5273 farmers have registered in these 20 e-NAM mandis in Bihar. Also, 3706 MT of farm produce has been traded on e-NAM amounting to Rs.15.42 crore in the State of Bihar. (b): Government of India is implementing Central Sector Scheme for Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). 10,000 FPOs have been registered under the Scheme across the country, of which 696 FPOs have been formed in Bihar. In Patna and adjoining districts (Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Nalanda, Lakhisarai, Begusarai, Arwal, Jehanabad and Bhojpur), 205 FPOs have been formed under the Scheme. (c) & (d): Government is implementing several schemes to strengthen post-harvest infrastructure, improve market linkages and enhance farmers' income. These include: i. Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) component of Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) provides assistance for creation of scientific storage capacity, grading and standardization facilities and other marketing infrastructure. Since inception of the Scheme till 28.2.2026, 1405 storage infrastructure projects with a capacity of 15,68,831 MT have been supported in State of Bihar with subsidy amounting to Rs.56.63 Crore. ii. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) provides interest subvention on loans for development of post-harvest infrastructure including warehouses, cold storage and other storage facilities. As on 6th March 2026, ₹1761.25 crore has been sanctioned for 2322 projects in State of Bihar, mobilizing an investment of ₹2858.21 crore. These include 526 Farm/Harvest Automation projects, 201 Custom Hiring Centres, 884 Warehouses, 343 Primary Processing Centres and 43 Cold Storage and Cold Chain projects. iii. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), supports horticulture production along with post-harvest management and marketing infrastructure. From 2014-15 to 2025-26 (till 09.03.2026), 1,364 post-harvest management units and 8 market infrastructures have been set up under the Mission in State of Bihar. iv. Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM), launched in 2014-15 promotes farm mechanization and improve farm productivity, particularly for small and marginal farmers. The scheme supports establishment of Custom Hiring Centres, Farm Machinery Banks and Hi-Tech Hubs, distribution of agricultural machinery on subsidy and capacity-building activities. During 2014-15 to 2025–26 (as on 09.03.2026), ₹238.28 crore has been released to the State. 39,535 farm machines have been distributed on subsidy, 1,129 Custom Hiring Centres, 2 Hi- Tech Hubs and 874 Farm Machinery Banks have been established in State of Bihar.v. In order to enhance farmers income, ₹30,088 crore have been released to the State of Bihar under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) since inception of the scheme. vi. To reduce distress sales, since 2014-15, 227.05 Lakh MT of rice and wheat amounting to ₹65,440.09 crore have been procured from 43,39,274 farmers in the State of Bihar. vii. Besides agricultural market yards & e-NAM, 415 FPOs in Bihar under 10,000 FPOs scheme have been onboarded on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) for marketing of agricultural produce. Regular capacity-building activities and webinars are also conducted to facilitate market linkages. As on 8th March 2026, the FPOs formed and promoted under the 10,000 FPO Scheme in State of Bihar have reported a total turnover of ₹267.9 crore during FY 2024-25. *****