Unseasonal rains impact small farmers: Union Agri min Tomar

New Delhi: It seems the devastation caused by unseasonal rains has become a major cause of concern for policy makers as the untimely rains have damaged the crops of mainly marginalised farmers.

Highlighting the concerns of small farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Wednesday that unseasonal rains in some parts of the country have affected small farmers. Tomar, however, said that the affected farmers have been compensated under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY).

"The losses and profits of farmers depend upon many factors. As the recent unseasonal rains have caused losses to small and marginal farmers, the crop insurance scheme proved to be security shield for farmers as the scheme provides protection to farmers from crop losses," he said while addressing a conference on 'Enhancing Agricultural Productivity: Integration of Improved Seeds and Agri Inputs' organized by ASSOCHAM. Notably, Delhi-NCR and various districts of Uttar Pradesh have received unseasonal rains this month.

So far, the insurance companies have provided a compensation of Rs 1.22 lakh crore to affected farmers, he said, adding that all farmers are not covered under the PMFBY. Though the compensation amount provides relief to the affected farmers, it does not compensate for their hardwork, he said.

The minister listed out challenges faced by the Indian agriculture sector, including the gradual reduction in cultivable area because of the need of land for infrastructure development.

"There is also a challenge to attract the younger generation in the farm sector. In such a situation, there is a need to bring new technology besides a better marketing system for agricultural produce," he said, adding that market infrastructure needs to be set up in rural areas as storage and transportation of crops are also a big challenge.