Articles from General Knowledge Today

National Food Security Mission

2011-06-10 08:06:38 GKToday

National Food Security Mission (NFSM) is a Central Scheme of GOI launched in 2007 for 5 years to increase production and productivity of wheat, rice and pulses on a sustainable basis so as to ensure food security of the country. The aim is to bridge the yield gap in respect of these crops through dissemination of improved technologies and farm management practices .

Salient Features:
According to NFSM report, the total financial implications for the NFSM were to be Rs 4,882.48 crore during the XI Plan (2007-08 2011-12). The implementation of the NFSM would result in increasing the production of rice by 10 million ton, wheat by 8 million ton and pulses by 2 million ton by 201112. Restoring soil fertility and productivity at the individual farm level. Creation of employment opportunities and enhancing farm level economy i.e. farm profits to restore confidence amongst the farmers. Beneficiaries can choose to draw loans from the Banks , in which case subsidy amount prescribed for a particular component for which the loan availed will be released to the Banks. Otherwise it is directly allocated to state government which distributes among them. Promotion and extension of improved technologies i.e., seed, Integrated Nutrient Management including micronutrients, soil amendments, IPM and resource conservation technologies along with capacity building of farmers. Subsidies are also given for farm instruments and technologies such as Rotovators, Sprinkler Sets, Multi Crop planters etc. Farmers and their dependents are eligible for this scheme. Productions of breeder seeds are done under ICAR while certified seeds and pulses are implemented by State and District agencies. For wheat and rice, these all are done by State Government agencies at district level or state level.

Current Status:
The targets of 11th five year exceeded and it was extended to 12th five year plan in 2012. In the 12th Plan, NFSM aims at raising the food grain production by 25 million tones . Besides rice, wheat and pulses, NFSM proposes to cover coarse cereals and fodder crops during the 12th plan period (2012-17).

11th plan covered 15 states under NFSM-Rice, 9 states under NFSM-Wheat and 16 States under NFSM Wheat. Hence, all states were not covered during 11th plan for NFSM. 12th plan aims to cover all the states of India with focus on low productive areas to bridge the yield gaps for additional production while stability in high production areas would be achieved through promotion of conservation agriculture practices. Central government allocated over Rs 1,800 crore to states under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) in 2012 to raise food grains output by 25 million tones in the 12th Five Year Plan period as the mission was extended with beyond expected output during XI the five year plan. Uttar Pradesh got the maximum amount at Rs 276.9 crore, followed by Madhya Pradesh Rs 226.87 crore and Maharashtra Rs 196 crore.