Finance Minister P Chidambaram may have announced a package for farmers even before the Budget next week, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In the Budget he is expected to announce a new package to induce farmers to diversify from traditional crops to lucrative fields of horticulture and floriculture.Also on the cards is a plan to replicate the Amul dairy model from Anand in Gujarat to other parts of the country. A massive package for irrigation to help states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu among others will also be tabled.While horticulture did receive a special mention in Jaswant Singh’s last Budget — the setting up of a National Horticulture Mission and a National Mission on Bamboo Technology were announced — but not much action on the ground. The allocation of funds for this category was Rs 383 crore last Budget. This figure is expected to go up significantly.Chidambaram and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar have had two rounds of meetings so far — besides several meetings between ministry officials — to convert the United Progressive Alliance’s commitments in the Common Minimum Programme into specifics in the Budget.Pawar, it is learnt, is keen on replicating the Amul milk revolution model of Anand in other states in the country and has appealed to the Finance Minister for such support in the Budget through funds and new schemes. While last year’s Budget had Rs 536.42 crore earmarked under the animal husbandry head, these funds were more for cattle development and veterinary usage. New schemes, sources say, could come in the Budget.The argument is that the Amul model has not only led to employment generation, it has also pushed women empowerment and support economic activity. Yet another area which is likely to receive a major thrust from Chidambaram is irrigation. A one-time fund to complete all pending irrigation projects in a time-bound manner is on the cards. In fact it was a scheme started by Chidambaram in his previous stint as Finance Minister but which subsequently lost focus as even new projects were included in the scheme as a result reducing funds for time-bound completion of specific projects.The FM is likely to go back to his old model and earmark funds for completion of specific irrigation projects which show results on the ground. Micro irrigation projects with focused areas of operation are likely to have a separate allocations in the Budget especially focused on the dry southern states.
