Parliament Question: Urban Peri-Urban Agriculture

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1575 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 28th JULY, 2026 URBAN PERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE

1575. SHRI SANJAY DINA PATIL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण मं(cid:287)ी

be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of urban and peri-urban agriculture in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region with a view to enhancing local food security, sustainable farming and efficient utilisation of available land;

(b) the details of schemes implemented for promotion of rooftop farming, protected cultivation, organic farming, hydroponics and other climate-resilient agricultural practices benefiting farmers and institutions supplying produce to Mumbai;

(c) whether financial assistance or technical support has been extended for promoting urban agriculture and farmer collectives in and around Mumbai; and

(d) the measures taken or proposed to strengthen sustainable agriculture, reduce transportation costs and enhance the resilience of food supply systems catering to Mumbai? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य मं(cid:287)ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a): As per the information received from State Government, no specific assessment of urban and peri-urban agriculture has been undertaken in Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

(b) to (d): The Government is implementing various schemes for promoting sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture in the country including peri-urban areas, under which provisions have been made for providing assistance for development of various agriculture activities. Under these schemes, the State has to prioritize areas and interventions and submit an Annual Action Plan (AAP) annually. Details of such schemes may be seen as

under:

(i) Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH): Assistance is

provided for protected cultivation such as poly-houses, shade-net houses, plastic mulching, anti-hail nets, hydroponics, quality planting material, micro irrigation and post-harvest infrastructure, including cold storages, pack houses and refrigerated transport to reduce transportation costs based on the Annual Action Plans submitted by the State Governments. These interventions contribute to enhancing local food production, promoting sustainable farming practices and improving efficient utilization of available resources.Under the revised Cluster Development Programme implemented under MIDH through National Horticulture Board, provision has been made for development of Peri- urban Vegetable Clusters around major urban centres, including cities such as Mumbai, with a view to improving supply chain efficiency, promoting market-linked production and mitigating price volatility in fruits and vegetables, including tomato, onion and potato crops.

Under the scheme, support is provided for protected cultivation, hydroponics, aeroponics, micro-irrigation, precision farming, adoption of Good Agricultural Practices, INM/IPM practices, traceability, IoT-based solutions and other innovative technologies.

(ii) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): For promotion of organic farming, Government is implementing Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), a component of Pradhan Mantri- Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY). The PKVY scheme provides end-to-end support to organic farmers i.e. from production to processing, certification and marketing in cluster-based approach.

(iii) National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF): To promote Natural Farming as a sustainable, climate-resilient and environmentally friendly agricultural production system, Government of India is implementing a centrally sponsored scheme; the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) with the aim to enhance climate sustainability in agriculture by promoting location-specific agro-ecological practices that reduce dependency on chemical inputs and strengthen natural ecosystems. The scheme is also focus to improve soil health and moisture content by encouraging in-situ soil organic matter generation through multi-crop systems, biomass mulching, etc. Under the National Mission on Natural Farming, financial assistance is provided for the formation of natural farming clusters, training and capacity building of farmers, establishment of bio-input resource centres, support for preparation of on-farm bio-inputs, Information, monitoring and evaluation, certification, branding and market linkages for natural farming produce. The Mission also promotes convergence with other schemes of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and allied Ministries to maximize the impact of natural farming interventions and optimize the utilization of available resource for sustainable farming.

(iv) Per Drop More Crop (PDMC): For promotion of micro-irrigation and efficient water use, Government is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) in the Country as a component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). PDMC scheme focuses on enhancing water use efficiency at farm level through Micro Irrigation, namely, Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation systems.

(v) Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana: The scheme focuses on creation of pre & post-harvest infrastructure in agriculture and allied sectors that help in supply of quality inputs, market facilities, etc to farmers. It provides flexibility and autonomy to states to implement projects as per the local farmers’ needs and priorities from a bouquet of activities in agriculture and allied sectors. The scheme aims to fill the resources gap of agriculture and allied sectors by providing financial support to states for undertaking various activities to increase in overall growth of agriculture and allied sectors and farmers’ income.

*****