Govt will focus on agri research and startups along with production, storage and marketing of pulses, oilseeds and vegetables

New Delhi, July 23 (HS): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday allocated ₹1.52 lakh crore for agriculture and agriculture-related sectors while presenting the Union Budget for the financial year 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha. Emphasizing the importance of research and development in the agriculture sector, the Finance Minister announced that adequate funds would be provided for research and development initiatives, especially focusing on the production, storage and marketing of pulses and oilseeds.

Union Finance Minister Sitharaman said, "We will strengthen their production, storage and marketing." The initiative aims to achieve "self-sufficiency" in oilseeds such as mustard, groundnut, sesame, soybean and sunflower. She said, "A strategy has been formulated to achieve "self-sufficiency" for oilseeds like mustard, groundnut, sesame, soybean and sunflower as announced in the interim budget."

The Union Finance Minister said, to enhance the supply chain of vegetables, the budget proposes to develop large scale clusters for vegetable production near major consumption centres. "Large scale clusters for vegetable production will be developed close to major consumption centres. We will promote farmer producer organisations, cooperatives and startups for supply chains of vegetables including collection, storage and marketing," she said.

Sitharaman announced a three-year plan to facilitate digital public infrastructure for agriculture, aimed at comprehensively covering farmers and their land. "Our government will facilitate digital public infrastructure in agriculture to cover farmers and their land in 3 years. Digital crop survey for Kharif will be conducted in 400 districts during this year," she said.

The Finance Minister said, "The details of six crore farmers and their land will be brought into the farmer and land registry. Facility will be provided to issue Kisan Credit Card in five states." In which financial assistance has been provided for shrimp farming in the budget under aquaculture. Financing facility will be provided through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for shrimp farming and export.

The Finance Minister said, "A new National Cooperative Policy will be introduced to ensure systematic and all-round development of the cooperative sector. The goal of the policy will be to accelerate the development of the rural economy and create employment opportunities on a large scale." The aim of this policy is to accelerate the development of the rural economy and create employment opportunities on a large scale.