Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Centre had spent around Rs 16 lakh crore on fertiliser subsidies over the past several years to protect farmers from rising global prices.
Addressing farmers in Bhildi, Gujarat’s Banaskantha district, PM Modi said global uncertainty had pushed fertiliser prices sharply higher. However, the government absorbed the additional costs instead of passing them on to farmers.
“Over the past few years, amid global uncertainty, fertiliser prices have risen sharply. But our government, which is dedicated to farmers, did not allow this burden to fall on them. The government has spent around Rs 16 lakh crore on this,” he said.
He said the subsidies allowed farmers to buy essential fertilisers at affordable prices. The government aimed to shield them from international price fluctuations and prevent higher input costs from affecting agricultural production.
Speaking at the national-level PM Kisan Utsav Diwas programme, the Prime Minister highlighted the Centre’s broader agricultural support measures. He said the agriculture budget had increased more than fivefold since 2013-14. Farmers had received or saved over Rs 50 lakh crore through various government schemes and policy decisions, he added.
These initiatives include PM-KISAN income support, fertiliser subsidies, minimum support prices (MSP), crop insurance and solar-powered irrigation.
PM Modi said the Centre had transferred Rs 24 lakh crore to wheat and paddy farmers through MSP payments over the past 12 years. He alleged that previous governments had failed to fulfil their MSP commitments.
He further cited more than Rs 2 lakh crore in crop insurance payouts and the distribution of nearly 12 lakh solar pumps under PM-KUSUM.
PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, with programmes in Banaskantha and Ekta Nagar. During his Banaskantha visit, he inaugurated the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) and launched projects in agriculture, animal husbandry and infrastructure.
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