Doubling farmers’ income by 2022, panel to submit report in April

An inter-ministerial panel formed by the Centre on doubling farmers’ income by 2022 will submit its final report in April, say reports. Chaired by Ashok Dalwai, the panel was set up in April 2016 and already wrote 14 volumes identifying ways to double farmers’ 2015-16 income level within seven years. The panel said the average income of an agricultural household during July 2012 to June 2013 was as low as Rs 6,426, whereas average monthly consumption expenditure was Rs 6,223.

The committee points out that the real income of farmers needs to register a compound annual growth rate of 10.4 per cent in order to double by 2022. “The final report is more or less ready. We will submit it by next month,” Dalwai told PTI. Some of the panel’s recommendations like upgrading of 22,000 gramin haats are already being implemented by the government. The move was intended to facilitate small and marginal farmers integration with the organised marketing structure.

“While we have to submit a final report, some of the committee’s recommendations are parallelly being implemented by the government,” said Dalwai.

The government has also put forward a draft agriculture export policy following the panel’s recommendation to fuel the mission of doubling farmers’ income, Dalwai added. According to the panel, “A uniform doubling in every region may not be possible, albeit desirable, and due consideration to degradation and depletion of arable land and other resources, the human backdrop and other associated factors is necessary.”

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