Daijiworld Media Network - Bhildi
Bhildi, Oct 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Centre had spent around Rs 16 lac crore on fertiliser subsidies over the past several years to shield farmers from rising international prices amid global uncertainty.
Addressing farmers at a gathering in Bhildi in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, Modi said international developments had led to a sharp increase in fertiliser prices, but the government had absorbed the additional costs instead of passing the burden on to farmers.
"Over the past few years, amid global uncertainty, fertiliser prices have risen sharply. But our government, which is dedicated to farmers, did not allow this burden to fall on them. The government has spent around Rs 16 lac crore on this," he said.
Explaining the expenditure, the Prime Minister said the government had borne the additional financial burden to ensure that farmers continued to receive fertilisers at affordable prices. The move was aimed at protecting them from international price fluctuations and preventing an increase in cultivation costs.
His remarks came during the national-level PM Kisan Utsav Diwas programme, where he outlined various measures taken by the government to support the agricultural sector.
Modi said the agriculture budget had increased more than fivefold compared with 2013-14 and that farmers had received or saved more than Rs 50 lakh crore through various government schemes and policy decisions.
He listed direct income support under PM-KISAN, fertiliser subsidies, minimum support prices (MSP), crop insurance and solar-powered irrigation among the key initiatives aimed at strengthening farmers' financial position.
He particularly emphasised the importance of fertiliser subsidies, stating that farmers depended on fertilisers for agricultural production and should not be made to bear the full impact of rising global input costs.
The Centre provides fertiliser subsidies to ensure that farmers can purchase essential fertilisers at prices below their actual cost.
Targeting previous governments over MSP, Modi said, "Earlier governments were also deceiving farmers on the issue of MSP. But it is our government that has fulfilled the promise of MSP. In the last 12 years, Rs 24 lakh crore has gone into the accounts of wheat and paddy farmers as MSP."
He further said that more than Rs 2 lakh crore had been paid to farmers as crop insurance compensation over the past 10-12 years.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the distribution of around 12 lakh solar pumps under the PM-KUSUM scheme to promote solar-powered irrigation and reduce farmers' dependence on conventional energy sources.
Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat from Friday, during which he is scheduled to attend various programmes in Banaskantha and Ekta Nagar.
During his visit to Banaskantha, he also inaugurated the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) and launched several projects related to agriculture, animal husbandry and infrastructure.