Decline in overall allocation for agriculture in Budget disappointing: Deve Gowda

New Delhi: Former prime minister and JDS leader H D Devegowda on Monday raised his concerns over the “decline” in the overall allocation for agriculture in the Budget and said it has disappointed those expecting an increase in the outlay for the sector.

Replying to the motion of thanks on the President’s speech, he said the government’s promise to double farm income by 2022 has no mention in the Budget.

“The allocation (for agriculture) out of the total Budget for FY 2022-23 has declined by 3.8 per cent,” Devegowda said and alleged that an appeal to remove GST from all farm inputs was left unheard.

The subsidy on food and petroleum products was decreased which would impact the cost of cultivation and cost inputs, he said, adding the budget allocation for agriculture and allied sectors has disappointed all those who were expecting an increased outlay.

“The budget allocated for MSP (minimum support price) has been reduced instead of increasing it to cover a large number of crops.” This will adversely impact the food production and income of the farmers, the former prime minister told the Rajya Sabha.

Over promoting natural and organic farming, Devegowda said it needs to be thoroughly debated to meet the demand of the growing population of the country. He also questioned the government’s schemes such as the use of drones in agriculture for chemical spraying.