Page 13 - Putting Farmers First

1 PRO-FARMER REFORMS

2020 – FREEDOM,

PROTECTION AND

HIGHER INCOME

BACKGROUND OF REFORMS

Disparity between Agriculture and Other
Sectors

Despite economic liberalisation in the beginning of
the nineties, agriculture as a sector was left out.

The difference in annual income of farmer and non-
farmer worker, which stood at Rs 25,398 in 1993-94
further widened to Rs 54,377 in 1999-2000 and in
the next decade it further increased to more than
Rs 1.42 lakh.

The dairy and fisheries sectors are growing at an
annual rate of 4% to 10%, while the growth in
food grain sector, where regulations were seen as
excessive, has been at an average of 1.1% annually
after 2011-12.

Hence, it was always known that agriculture sector
too needed pro-farmer reforms, just like the reforms
in other sectors, to double the income of farmers.

Putting Farmers First | 6