Karnataka saw the most crop damage due to heavy rains/floods this year through December 7, 2022, Narendra Tomar, Union minister for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, told the Rajya Sabha December 23, 2022. 

The state saw 1,031,102 hectares of damaged crop area, followed by Assam with 245,837.7 ha. 

Fodder Shortage

There is a deficit of 11.24, 23.4 and 28.9 per cent for green fodder, dry fodder and concentrates, respectively, in the country, Parshottam Rupala Union minister for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, told the Rajya Sabha.

The estimates were calculated by Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute under autonomous organisation Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). ICAR falls under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. 

Irrigated and unirrigated land in the country

The net area sown in the country is 1,39,351 thousand hectares, according to the latest available land use statistics, Tomar told the Rajya Sabha. Of this net area, 71,554 thousand hectares are irrigated, he further said. 

Launching of agriculture investment portal

The central government started a portal to boost agricultural investment in the country named Krishi Nivesh December 5, 2022. The portal is being developed in association with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Tomar told the Rajya Sabha.

Benefits to farmers through PMKSY

Since the inception of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY), 18,06,027 farmers have benefited from the central scheme, Prahlad Patel, minister of state for food processing industries, told the Rajya Sabha.

From 2017-18 to 2022-23, 4,026 project proposals from various state governments and entrepreneurs under various sub-schemes of PMKSY have been received. Out of these, 1,002 have been approved as on December 16, 2022, Patel added.

Fisheries and infrastructure development fund

Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), with a total fund size of Rs 7,522.48 crore, was created by the Department of Fisheries under the Union ministry of fisheries during the financial year 2018-19, Rupala told the Rajya Sabha.

So far, the department has accorded approvals to 110 proposals with a total outlay of Rs 5,285.45 crore for creating various fisheries infrastructures, he added.

Policy for rearing Manipuri ponies

Manipur government has approved the Manipuri Pony Conservation and Development Policy, 2016 for the conservation and development of Manipuri ponies, Rupala told the Rajya Sabha. 

Biomedical research body under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s National Research Centre on Equines, Hissar is also running a collaborative project. 

Central Agricultural University, Imphal will help the body with the project, Conservation of Manipuri Pony Breed, to encourage the rearing of Manipuri Pony in the region. 

There are no plans to formulate a policy to save the endangered Manipuri pony species in the Ministry, as there is already a state-level policy on the subject, Rupala added.

Source - https://www.downtoearth.org.in