Tomar hails Budget; says priority given to doubling farmers' income

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday welcomed the Union Budget for 2021-22, saying priority has been given to doubling farmers' income by focusing on making available higher farm credit and post-harvest infrastructure in rural areas.

"I welcome the budget. It is a good budget that focuses on all sections of the society. Better fund allocation has been made for each sector which will benefit farmers and rural India," Tomar told reporters.

For instance, the farm loan target has been increased to Rs 16.5 lakh crore for the 2021-22 fiscal from Rs 15 lakh crore this financial year while the Rs 1 lakh crore agriculture infrastructure fund would be made available for strengthening APMCs, he said.

Stating that the government is committed to farmers' welfare, Tomar said, "The government is making efforts towards achieving the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022. The priority has been given for this in the budget."

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When asked about some political parties protesting against the budget in Parliament saying the government presented a digital budget when the internet has been snapped at the farmers' protest site at Delhi borders, Tomar said, "I want to urge such political parties not to politicise the matter. Those who look for opportunities for doing politics, their plight will be that of Opposition parties".

On agri-infrastructure and development cess, the minister said it will not have an impact on consumers. The fund raised through the cess will be used for development of post-harvest infrastructure, which is much needed for enhancing farmers' income.

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Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary also lauded the budget saying it benefits all sections of people and the allocation made for the sector is much higher than what was there during the UPA time.

The budget allocation and several measures taken in the farm sector will benefit farmers and enhance their income, he said.

The minister also said that sufficient funds have been allocated for agricultural research and education and if needed more can be sought later.