Doubling farmers' income

Doubling farmers' income (DFI) is a target set by the government of India in February 2016 to be achieved by 2022.[1][2][3] The DFI Committee submitted hundreds of recommendations to this effect in September 2018 and is empowered to oversee their implementation.[4]

Background

China doubled farmer income in six years between 1978 and 1984. In the same time it reduced poverty by 50%. With respect to cutting poverty in half, India took three times the number of years- 18 years between 1993 and 2011.[5] In 2013, average farmer income was ₹6,426 (equivalent to ₹11,000 or US$140 in 2023) while its average monthly consumption expenditure was ₹6,223 (equivalent to ₹11,000 or US$130 in 2023).[6] Farmer income varies widely between state, land holdings, and commodity.[7]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi first talked of the target of doubling farmers' income at a farmer's rally in Uttar Pradesh on 28 February 2016.[5][8] The next day Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated in his budget speech "We are grateful to our farmers for being the backbone of the country's food security. We need to think beyond food security and give back to our farmers a sense of income security. Government will, therefore, reorient its interventions in the farm and non-farm sectors to double the income of the farmers by 2022".[9]

Immediately following the Prime Minister's and Finance Minister's announcement, there were those who felt that the doubling was possible, such as M. S. Swaminathan.[9][10] On the other hand there were a number of experts who said it couldn't be done, this included Ashok Gulati and Ashok Desai.[9]

DFI Committee

On 13 April 2016, a Doubling Farmers’ Income (DFI) Committee was set up under Ashok Dalwai, who was at that time an additional secretary in the union ministry of agriculture.[5] The report has hundreds of recommendations.[5][11] Dalwai stated in October 2019 that DFI strategy will be based on increasing productivity, rational resource use and ensuring farmer's to remunerative prices.[12] The Committee has been empowered to implement its recommendations.[4]

References
  1. "Govt pursuing target of doubling farmers' income by 2022: Tomar". The Economic Times. PTI. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  2. Kumar, Shiv; Chahal, V. P. (January 2018). "Doubling farmers' income: possible way out" (PDF). Indian Farming. 68 (1): 95–96.
  3. Jadhav, Radheshyam (10 May 2021). "Doubling farmers' income: It's still a long road ahead". The Hindu BusinessLine. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  4. "Doubling farmers' income: Dalwai committee empowered to oversee implementation". The Financial Express. 4 January 2019. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  5. Gulati, Ashok; Hussain, Siraj (28 August 2017). "From plate to plough: Tall tales for farmers". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  6. March of Agriculture since Independence and Growth Trends. Historical Analysis and Examination of India's Agricultural Production and Farmers' Income (PDF). August 2017. pp. ii. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  7. Satyasai, K J S; Mehrotra, Nirupam (12 July 2016). "Enhancing Farmers' Income" (PDF). Lead paper prepared for Foundation Seminar in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 12 July 2016 on Doubling Farmers' Income by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 August 2017 – via Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India.
  8. Chand, Ramesh (15 April 2016). "Why doubling farmers' income by 2022 is possible". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  9. Satyasai, K J S; Bhart, Sandhya (March–April 2016). Department of Economic Analysis and Research, NABARD. "Doubling Farmers' Income : Way Forward". Rural Pulse. XIV – via researchgate.net.
  10. Bihari, Bankey; Singh, Madan; Bishnoi, Rajesh; Mishra, P K (August 2019). "Issues, challenges and strategies for doubling the farmers' income in India- A review". Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 89 (8): 1219–1224. doi:10.56093/ijas.v89i8.92830. S2CID 254525929 – via researchgate.net.
  11. Comprehensive Policy Recommendations. Summation of Recommended Reforms and Implementation Items Covering Topics discussed in all Volumes of the DFI Report (PDF). September 2018. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  12. Nirmal, Rajalakshmi (1 October 2019). "We're on track to doubling farmers' income: Ashok Dalwai". The Hindu BusinessLine. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2021.

Further reading
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