The erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Sub-Mission on Agro forestry (SMAF) has now been restructured with focus on Quality Planting Material as an Agroforestry component to be implemented as one of the components of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) with an indicative outlay of Rs. 271.65 crore (GoI Share) for the 15^th Finance Commission period i.e. 2021-22 to 2025-26 with special focus on production of certified Quality Planting Material (QPM). ICAR-Central Agro forestry Research Institute (CAFRI) is the nodal agency for providing technical support, capacity building, setting up of nurseries, production, and certification of QPM etc. CAFRI shall extend support through its All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) centers on agroforestry situated at various locations around the country. For the implementation of the scheme State Nodal Department/Agency shall be identified for each State/UTs. The Nodal Department/Agency shall ensure the availability of QPM by producing on its own or through the collaborative arrangement with individuals/institutions such as SAUs, KVKs, FPOs, SHGs, NGOs, Entrepreneurs/Startups, Forest/Agriculture institutes, farmers/cooperative societies etc. QMP raised under the scheme shall be made available for farmers/SHGs free of cost or as decided by the respective States/UTs. The scheme will have the following major components/ activities;

1. Establishment of Nurseries for Production of QPM
2. Tissue culture lab for quality planting material
3. Skill Development and awareness campaign (up to 5% of allocation):
4. Research & Development, Market linking:
5. Project Management Unit (PMU) and Agroforestry Technical Support Group (TSG)
6. Local Initiative (upto 2 % of Approved Annual Plan)

 

The government is promoting natural farming since 2019-2020 through a sub-scheme namely Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddati (BPKP) under Paramaragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY). Natural farming is chemical-free farming based on the integrated agriculture and animal husbandry approach using livestock and local resources and relies on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching, the use of on-farm cow dung-urine formulations from local livestock.

Under the Namai Gange Program of PKVY scheme Government is promoting chemical-free Organic farming along the bank of the Ganga River. 1.23 lakh ha area has been covered under the Namami Gange program since 2017-18.

During 2022-23, Government approved Chemical-free Natural Farming for a 1.48 lakh ha area in 5-km wide corridors along river Ganga for the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have approved areas of 52,000 ha, 4000 ha, 6400 ha and 85710 ha respectively for Natural Farming.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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