Agri-business stakeholders feel the proposals in Union Budget 2022-23 will help drive technology adoption and boost the country’s agriculture sector.

Sanjiv Lal, MD and CEO, Rallis India, said, “The Government took important steps to boost the agricultural sector and it clearly reflects in the budget proposals. The involvement of Kisan drones for crop assessment, land records, and spraying of insecticides will not just drive the use of technology in the agriculture sector but also open up a spectrum of new development opportunities for farmers.”

Further, Lal said the digital delivery of hi-tech services to farmers using the PPP mode, with the involvement of public sector research, institutions, and other stakeholders of the agriculture value chains, is needed to keep up with the new era of digitisation.

“The budget has been well thought through, aiming to reduce dependence on import of oilseeds through a comprehensive scheme to increase domestic production. In addition, exemption is rationalised on tools for the agri sector that are manufactured in India. Lastly, the announcement of fiscal year 2022-23 as International Year of Millets brings a new ray of light for farmers,” Lal added.

Welcoming the budget proposals, Ramesh Doraiswami, MD and CEO, National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC), said, “The Budget priority on stimulating growth and employment through substantial infra-led capital investment of ₹7.5 lakh crore is commendable. Another notable feature is its support to technology-led growth. Agricultural sector has been given further impetus through initiatives such as the oilseeds mission, promotion of Kisan Drones for crop assessment and protection, direct MSP benefit credit to farmers, support to organic farming and the post-harvest value chain.”

Parijat Jain, Partner, Bain & Company, said “Direct transfer of over ₹2 lakh crore of MSP to farmers will help boost the rural economy. The promotion of chemical-free natural farming will encourage sustainable agricultural activity and productivity, leading to increase in farmer incomes. The usage of Kisan drones for crop assessment and spraying of pesticides will be a very important large-scale tech intervention in agriculture and the rural economy and it remains to be seen how effectively and quickly can we scale this initiative. Finally, the digitisation of land records, which would be expedited, will bring in immense transparency in the agriculture sector.”

Mrityunjaya Singh, MD, CLAAS Agricultural Machinery Pvt Ltd, said the outlay of direct MSP for paddy and wheat will be a boon to small and medium-sized farms. The focus on digital intervention will give added impetus to the growth of agri start-ups. “The inclusion of post-harvest processes, targeted use of biomass in thermal power plants will result in major protection of the environment. CLAAS sees this as an opportunity to grow further in India and make farmers’ lives even better with the support of the government,” Singh said.