Presenting the budget 2011-12 in the Lok Sabha today, the Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee announced a number of measures to strengthen the agricultural sector particularly in the areas of pulses, vegetables and oil palm.
He announced Rs. 300 crore expenditure to promote 60,000 pulses villages in rain fed areas for increasing crop productivity and strengthening market linkages. He also proposed to spend Rs. 300 crore to promote oil palm plantation in 60,000 hectares and Rs. 300 crore for the initiative on vegetable cluster.
Rs. 400 crore is proposed to be spent to improve rice based cropping system in the Eastern Region. Capital investment in fertilizer production is proposed to be included as an infrastructure sub-sector since investment in the sector is capital intensive.