Budget 2019: Govt looks to attract more private investment in agri sector

The announcements didn't impress the farmers who termed the Budget as lukewarm and having done little to address the core issue of falling returns in the sector

After having announced the expansion of PM-KISAN scheme to all farmers in the election manifesto, the finance minister maintained the budgetary allocation for it at Rs 75,000 — the same as provided in the interim Budget, when the scheme was limited to small and marginal farmers. 
 

But this too constrained her from providing more fiscal support to other programmes for the agriculture sector.

Instead, the finance minister looked to encourage setting up of farmer producer organisations and spur other non-government investment in the sector. Expectedly, the Budget fell short of laying down any big-ticket idea for structural reform in agriculture.

The allocation