India Union Budget 2022 Puts Spotlight on Sustainable Agriculture

The Union Budget 2022 of the Central Government of India has put the spotlight on sustainable agriculture. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in February that the Centre will promote:

• Agroforestry for carbon sequestration & climate mitigation
• Chemical-free natural farming
• Kisan Drones for technology & efficient use of chemicals
• Revised syllabus in agricultural universities to focus on natural & organic farming
• Public-private partnerships for delivery of digital and high-tech services to farmers

The government will bring in policies and legislative changes to promote agroforestry and private forestry. Financial support will now be provided to farmers belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes who want to take up agroforestry. What will also help is the end of regulatory restrictions relating to felling permits, wood transit permits, and others on the tree species grown by farmers on their farmlands.

Promotion of agroforestry is part of the government’s goal to move towards a carbon neutral economy. Besides supporting sustainable farming, agroforestry also provides ecological services and acts as a carbon sink.

Alongside, the Centre will promote chemical-free natural farming throughout the country, beginning with farmers’ lands along the river Ganga in the first stage.

The government will also promote the use of ‘Kisan Drones‘ for crop assessment, spraying of insecticides, and digitization of land records. Due to fragmented farm holdings there will be challenges in this venture, but in time the solutions are sure to be found.

Use of chemicals in agriculture over the years has not been monitored & managed well in the country, resulting in contamination of farm soils and water bodies, affecting the health of humans & livestock. The promotion of chemical-free farming is a welcome initiative by the Government. However, in the initial years, this switch over in farming practices will result in lower crop yields for the farmers and hopefully a mechanism to compensate for that will also be created in the ecosystem.

States will be encouraged to revise syllabi of agricultural universities to meet the needs of natural, zero-budget, and organic farming, modern-day agriculture, value addition, and management.

The Centre will facilitate a fund with NABARD to finance agri start-ups and rural enterprises. The activities of these start-ups will include inter-area support for farmer-producer organisations (FPOs), and technology & machinery for farmers.

About Urvara Krsi

Urvara Krsi promotes sustainable and environment-conscious cultivation of niche agricultural crops and agroforestry. We engage in the production & supply of high-quality planting stock and technology to farmers, and are a leading agricultural raw material provider to agro-based industries.

Incorporated in 2019, Urvara Krsi currently operates in four states of India: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. We have three (3) main Business verticals, viz. Commercial Agroforestry, Cultivation of Agricultural crops in contract farming models, and Agricultural Consultancy.

Through our B2B consultancy services, we cater to companies looking to enhance their farmer network, strengthen their R&D, and experiment with new crops and geographies by enabling clients to collaborate closely with local communities to identify new crops, launch pilot projects, and set up dedicated, cost-effective cultivation programs.

Urvara Krsi acts as the opportunity bridge between small-holder farmers and industrial buyers exploring new geographies with backward linkages through farmers’ networks.

To partner with Urvara Krsi, or to learn more about what we do, please Contact Us.