The document outlines new initiatives in Indian agriculture for the 11th five-year plan period, including strengthening programs for pulses and oilseed production, providing tax concessions and credit to promote mechanization and infrastructure, and addressing challenges like sustained production, risk mitigation, and efficient markets. Key strategies include a four-pronged approach focusing on production, processing, credit, and reducing waste; revamping pulses programs; increasing funds for eastern states; and developing regional strategies tailored to agro-climatic zones. Proper implementation of these targeted interventions is seen as critical to achieving agricultural growth goals.

1. New initiatives in the context
of Agriculture Development
Strategy for eleventh plan
UPPING THE ANTE
Department of Agriculture & Cooperation Mukesh Khullar
Ministry of Agriculture Joint Secretary
Government of India

2. New Initiatives
 Strengthening Pulses Production Programs
 Four pronged strategy on Agriculture Growth in the Budget
2009-10
 Agriculture Production
 Food Processing
 Credit
 Reducing Wastage of produce
 Nutrient Based Subsidy effective from April 1, 2010 (Fertilizers
and Chemicals)
 Rs. 100 crores for ‘Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Yojana’ as a sub
component of National Rural Livelihood Mission (Rural
Development)
 Additional Central Assistance of Rs. 1200 crores to
Bundelkhand for drought mitigation (Rural Development)

3. Tax Concessions
 Modernizing Mandis or warehousing
 Concessional import duty of 5 % and service tax exemption for mechanised
handling of food grains and sugar in Mandis
 Central excise and service tax exemption to specified equipment for storage and
warehousing of agriculture products
 Promoting Cold chain infrastructure
 Concessional customs duty of 5 % with full exemption from service tax to setting up of
Cold storage facilities and Processing units for such produce.
 Provide full exemption from customs duty to refrigeration units required for the
manufacture of refrigerated vans or trucks
 Promoting Farm Mechanization
 Concessional customs duty of 5 per cent to specified agricultural machinery not
manufactured in India;
 Full exemption from excise duty to trailers and semi-trailers used in
agriculture.
 Transportation of produce
 The transportation by road of cereals, and pulses to be exempted from service tax.
Transportation by rail to remain exempt.

4. Agriculture Development Strategy in the
11th five year plan period

5. Schemes
Schemes Main Objective Salient Feature
RKVY and MMA Agriculture growth Full freedom to States
NFSM Food production Strategically targeted
ISOPOM Oil seeds production Strategically targeted
NHM and TMNE Horticulture End to end program
Micro Irrigation Water use efficiency Sprinklers and Drips
Small Farm
NREGS Water Harvesting
Development

6. Key Challenges
 Sustained higher production levels of food grains
 More focused working especially for pulses
 Regional disparity
 Widening the food basket
 Broad basing the risks of crop failure due to climatic variability
 Rainfed area development
 Convergence – mechanism for horizontal working?
 Watershed management – Large scale replication of good models?
 Risk mitigation for Climatic variability
 Integrated farming system for diversifying farm portfolio – horticulture, fisheries, dairy
etc. Wadi project of NABARD, Livelihood projects of World Bank?
 Seed Rolling Production Plans for quantity of needed varieties– Seeds Mission?
 Conservation Agriculture – National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture?
 Effective innovative weather based Insurance products – savings linked crop insurance?
 Increased buffer stocks for food grains – grain storage grid?
 Efficient marketing supply chain
 Scientific storage and management – fungible warehousing receipts?
 Processing – private investments, logistics management?
 Direct marketing – credible contract farming mechanism?

7. 4- pronged Strategy on Agriculture
Union Budget 2010
Growth
Ministry of Food
Processing
Ministry of Food
and Consumer
Affairs
Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Finance

8. Focus on Pulses and oilseeds
 Strengthening NFSM Pulses
 Merger of ISOPOM for pulses with NFSM
 More funds – about 1000 crores in next two years
 Accelerated pulses production program (A3P)
 Block demonstrations of soil nutrient and plant protection centric technology in
1000 units of 1000 hectares compact block each for five major pulses with an
outlay of 700 crores
 Provision for extension staff at unit level
 Inclusion of Jharkhand and Assam States
 More funds available under ISOPOM for oilseeds development
 Integrated development of 60,000 pulses and oilseeds villages in
rainfed areas with an outlay of 300 crores under RKVY
 Watershed management and water harvesting
 Community tanks
 Field channels
 Dry land farming
 Watershed plus activities for crop development
 Convergence with NFSM, ISOPOM, NHM, NREGA and NWDPRA

9. Next Steps for A3P
 Prepare an action plan as per the guidelines for
implementing A3P from April 2010
 Identification of beneficiaries and units among villages
 Preparing unit wise district level plans
 Ensure supply of gypsum and plant protection chemicals to
identified beneficiaries through the designated agencies
 Engage extension staff for unit level positioning and impart
an orientation training
 KVKs could be actively associated
 Capacity building for pest monitoring and pest surveillance
by NCIPM
 Modalities for implementing integrated development of
60,000 pulses and oilseeds villages being worked out

10. Inter State Productivity Gaps
Rice Production in (‘000) tons Yield in kg/ha
2003-04 to
2003-04 2007-08 2008-09* 2007-08
State CAGR
Normal Max
Production Yield Production Yield Production Yield
Yield Yield
West Bengal 0.69 14662.3 2504 14719.5 2573 15554.0 2646 2550 2593
Andhra Pradesh 2.67 8953.0 3009 13324.0 3344 14207.0 3247 3080 3344
Uttar Pradesh -1.45 13018.8 2187 11780.0 2063 13074.0 2171 1986 2187
Punjab 2.13 9656.0 3694 10489.0 4019 11000.0 4022 3876 4019
Orissa 3.15 6733.7 1496 7540.7 1694 6762.0 1520 1540 1694
Bihar -5.07 5447.8 1523 4418.1 1237 5668.7 1610 1233 1523
Tamil Nadu 5.11 3222.8 2308 5040.2 2817 5201.0 2510 2783 3423
Chattisgarh -0.14 5567.6 1454 5426.6 1446 4391.8 1176 1353 1454
Assam -1.77 3880.0 1534 3319.0 1428 3775.0 1720 1448 1534
Karnataka 2.54 2550.3 2375 3717.0 2625 3690.0 2434 2846 3868
Jharkhand 4.45 2310.0 1695 3336.4 2018 3304.9 1947 1628 2018
Haryana 5.16 2790.0 2749 3613.0 3361 3298.0 2726 3072 3361
Maharashtra 0.67 2835.0 1853 2996.0 1903 2311.0 1506 1729 1903
All India
1.45 88526.0 2078 96692.9 2202 99153.7 2186 2101 2202
CAGR** 1.05

11. Eastern Region Development
 Additional Rs. 400 crores provided for the agriculture
development in Eastern Region comprising of Eastern UP,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal
 Funds would be released under RKVY. States are expected to
prepare an action plan containing the following points
 Identification of key technologies, constraints in development and inter se
priority for implementation for visible impact
 Situation report on current initiatives, preparation of multi year strategy
for agriculture development in sync with the DAPs by pooling the resources
from State plan, and convergence with other ongoing schemes
 Preparation of projects to implement the strategy in a budget proposal
worked out by each State
 Allocation of budget for each State as per the proposal and approval of
projects within an overall budget allocated for each State
 Mechanism for regular monitoring of the progress of implementation of the
projects
 Detailed set of instructions would be prepared in consultation
with the States for implementation from the Rabi season

12. Agri eco Zone wise Regional Strategy
Lower Gangetic Plains Region Middle Gangetic Plains Region
(WB other than Purulia and hill districts) (Eastern U.P. and Bihar)
• Basically a rice mono cropped area • Rice, wheat, sugarcane are the major
• Increasing the cropping intensity by crops. However, productivity is low.
utilizing Rabi fallows after harvest of • Popularisation of Short duration high
Kharif rice by promoting the cultivation of
yielding varieties/hybrids of rice.
pulses and oilseeds
• Promotion of maize cultivation
• Diversification of upland rice areas
especially in Rabi as it has high
which are less productive to suitable
potential
crops like pulses, oilseeds and millets.
• Promotion of early maturing varieties
• Development of on-farm irrigation
of sugarcane for higher sugar recovery
resources through exploitation of
ground water potential which is
• Development of on-farm irrigation
abundant. resources thorough exploitation of
ground water potential
• Improving subsurface soil drainage
• Cattle rearing, poultry, goat rearing
and fish farming as an off farm activity.

13. Agri eco zone wise Regional Strategy
Eastern Plateau & Hills Region (Parts East Coast Plains & Hills
of Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh) (Part of Orissa)
• Management of rainwater • Rice is the lead crop in this zone.
harvesting and storage for However, the productivity is low.
increasing crop productivity High yielding varieties for water
• Promotion of High yielding logged areas and upland areas
varieties/hybrids especially that of needs to be propagated
rice • Discouraging the cultivation of rice
• Expansion of area under High in marginal lands and diversifying
value cash crops and vegetables in favour of oilseeds and pulses
• Improvement in seed supply so as • Utilization of rice fallows for
to increase the SRR increasing the cropping intensity.
• Improvement in productivity of • Rice-fish culture
crops in acidic soils through lime • Improving soil drainage
treatment

14. Sum up
Emphasis on Pulses through revamped
programmatic interventions and prevailing good
market price should help in achievement of
production targets of pulses
Focus on Eastern Region that has huge potential
would help macro level stability of agriculture
production
Enabling policies on market development would
bring in private investments for value addition to the
harvests and efficiency gains in supply chain

15. New initiatives Better targeting
and delivery of services
IMPLEMENTATION IS THE KEY
Thanks !!
khullar.m@nic.in