Encouraging small farmers to set up Cottage Industries for generating self-employment opportunities.

Small farmers are being encouraged to set up cottage industries to increase their income through the following schemes/programmes:

i  Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is a major credit-linked subsidy programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans (primarily small farmers) and rural/urban unemployed youth. The major verticals in the cottage industries where the small farmers are setting up micro enterprises under PMEGP are as follows:

• Agro Based & Food Processing Industry viz. Pulses & Cereals Processing Industry, Fruit & Vegetable Processing Industry, Village Oil Industry, Gur & Khandsari Industry, etc.
• Forest Based Industry viz. Medicinal Plants Industry, Beekeeping Industry, Minor Forest Based Industries, etc.
• Handmade Paper and Fibre Industry viz. Handmade Paper Industry, Fibre Industry, etc.

Since inception of the scheme, till 09.07.2021, 6,97,612 units have been set up (including those by farmers) with MM subsidy of Rs. 16688.17 crore.

ii Ministry is implementing Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI). The focus of the scheme is to organize traditional industries and artisans/small farmers into clusters and provide them with sustainable employment by making their products competitive through value addition. Under the scheme, farmers through farmer producer organization or otherwise  are collectively supported through construction of Common Facility Centres (CFCs), new plants and machineries, training, etc. in sectors such as Agro Based Industries, Honey, Khadi, Coir, Handicrafts, Textiles, Bamboo etc.

As on 19.07.2021, 433 clusters have been approved benefitting about 2.6 lakh artisans (including farmers) with GoI assistance of Rs.1102 crore.

iii.  Ministry also implements Gramodyog Vikas Yojana focussing on development of Village based industries. Two major components of the scheme are as follows:

• Honey Mission (Beekeeping Programme): To supplement the income of farmers, Adivasies and unemployed youth of the country, KVIC launched Honey Mission during 2017 – 18 providing farmers with 10 bee boxes with live bee hives. A total number of 15,445 beneficiaries have been provided with 1,53,259 of Bee-Hives(Boxes) from 2017-18 to 2020-21.
• Kumbhar Sashaktikaran Programme (Mineral Based Industry): Under the programme, for up-liftment of the small farmer/rural potters’ livelihood, skill up-gradation training and new home scale energy efficient equipments like electric pottery wheels, blunger, pug mill, kiln etc. are provided for producing quality products. A total of 21030 electric pottery wheels have been distributed under this programme from 2017-18 to 2020-21.

This information was given by Minister for Micro. Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Narayan Rane in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.