The Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram has proposed an outlay of Rs. 27,049 crore for the Ministry of Agriculture in the Union Budget 2013-14. The outlay is 22 per cent over the Revised Estimates of the year 2012-13. Out of this, Rs. 3415 crore will be provided for agricultural research.

From the overall allocation of Rs. 27,049 crore, Rs. 307 crore is proposed to be provided for the National Livestock Mission which will be launched in 2013-14 to attract investment and to enhance productivity taking into account the local agro-climatic conditions. There will be sub Mission for increasing the availability of feed and fodder.

The Finance Minister informed that the agricultural exports from April to December 2012 have crossed Rs. 1,38,403 crore. The increase in Minimum Support Price of every agricultural produce under the procurement programme have motivated the farmers to produce more. He hoped that in 2012-13, the foodgrain production will be over 250 million tonnes.

Thanking the farmers for their hard work, the Finance Minister stated that the average annual growth rate of agriculture and allied sector during the 11th Plan was 3.6 per cent as against 2.5 per cent and 2.4 per cent in the 9th and 10th Plans respectively.

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DSM/AL/NV/19

(Release ID :92717)

Agricultural budget allocation increases support for research and launches National Livestock Mission to boost productivity. Agricultural budget allocation increases central funding for the Ministry of Agriculture with a marked provision for agricultural research and a National Livestock Mission to attract investment and enhance productivity; a sub-mission will address feed and fodder availability. The proposal ties procurement-linked Minimum Support Price increases to production incentives and references agricultural export receipts and anticipated foodgrain production alongside recorded growth rates in the agriculture and allied sector.