Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh reported that the progress of two primary schemes – National Agriculture Market (E-Name) and Soil Health Card has been reviewed in the meeting of Agriculture Marketing Ministers and Agriculture Ministers/Secretaries/Directors/Directors in New Delhi.
They pointed out that by 2022, farmers have to reduce production costs under the first pillar to achieve their goal to double income and increase productivity and as the second pillar, farmers need to diversify it with agriculture and also adopt agriculture-based other beneficial activities such as animal husbandry, poultry, goat observance, franchise, beekeeper, plant wood trees on the trees.
The third and most important pillar is that the farmers are available in the nearest market to sell their yields and their yields have a beneficial value.
The "E-National Agricultural Market (E-Name)" scheme provides an online portal for the electronic business of farmers and enables the pursuit of transparent and competitive price. They are assisted at a rate of 30 lakh per month to prepare the necessary infrastructure in the integrated regulated markets under the scheme. This amount has been increased to Rs.75 lakh in this year budget.
Singh reported that the first cycle of the Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme (2015-17) is expected to be completed by July 2017. He reported that the states have tested 100% soil sampling collection i.e. 253 lakh soil samples and 244 lakh soil samples. So far 9 crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed to farmers.