Annual Report 2009-2010 - Department of Agriculture & Co-operation

individuals, companies, and corporations would
be given a subsidy at the rate of 15 per cent of
the project cost. In case of the North Eastern
states and hilly areas, women farmers, and SC/
ST entrepreneurs and their cooperatives, the
subsidy shall be of 33.33 per cent.
10.32 The scheme has now been made more
farmer friendly by allowing subsidies for smaller
godowns of 50 MT size in general, and of 25 MT
in hilly areas. Five lakh tonnes of capacity to be
created is reserved for small farmers. By the end
of October 2009, 20,899 godowns that have a
capacity of 243.19 lakh tonnes with a subsidy
release of Rs. 573.22 crore have been sanctioned
by NABARD and NCDC all over the country.
During the year 2008-09, 3,577 rural godowns
with a capacity of 24.08 lakh tonnes have been
sanctioned by NABARD and NCDC, and during
2009-10 (till 31 October 2009), 506 rural godowns
with a capacity of 4.83 lakh MTs have been
sanctioned by NABARD/NCDC.
10.33 The scheme has been further revised and
allowed to be continued during the Eleventh Plan,
targetting the creation of 90 lakh MT storage
capacity, with an outlay of Rs.400 crore. The target
of storage creation during the year 2009-10 is 20
lakh tonnes, with an allocation of Rs.70 crore.
10.34 In order to give wide publicity to the
scheme, NIAM (National Institute of Agriculture
Marketing), Jaipur has been conducting
awareness and training programmes. During the
last seven years, six national seminars, four
workshops, 30 sensitisation programmes have
been organised. In addition, 256 training
programmes and 1,233 farmer awareness
programmes have been organised. These
activities are continuing during the current year,
particularly in those states where the progress
has been less.
10.35 Development and Strengthening of
Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure, Grading,
and Standardisation: The scheme for
Development and Strengthening of Agricultural
Marketing Infrastructure, Grading, and
Standardisation has been launched with effect
from 20 October 2004. Under this scheme, credit
linked investment subsidy is being provided on
the capital cost of general or commodity specific
marketing infrastructure for agricultural
commodities and for the strengthening and
modernisation of existing agricultural marketswholesale,
rural, or periodic, and also in tribal
areas. The scheme covers all agricultural and
allied sectors including dairy, poultry, fishery,
livestock, and minor forest produce. The scheme
is reform linked and is being implemented in
those states/UTs which permit the setting up of
agricultural markets in the private and
cooperative sectors and allow direct marketing
and contract farming.
10.36 During the year 2009-10, a sum of Rs. 70
crore has been allocated to develop 250 new
marketing infrastructure projects, 200 wholesale
and 70 rural primary markets, besides the upgradation
and modernisation of six AGMARK
laboratories and their accreditation with NABL.
10.37 A notification for the implementation of
the scheme in the state of Jharkhand has been
made on 28 August 2009, in addition to the states
of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Manipur,
Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh,
Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, and UTs of
Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and
Nagar Haveli, already notified earlier.
10.38 So far, 475 training and awareness
programmes have been conducted by NIAM (till
31 October, 2009 ) during the year. An amount
of Rs. 265.44 crore as subsidy has been released
by NABARD for 263 projects in the states of
Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab,
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh,
Maharashtra, Orissa, Gujarat, Sikkim, Karnataka,
Assam, and Himachal Pradesh.
Agricultural Marketing
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