NEW DELHI: Most of the states in India failed to achieve the goal to double farmers’ incomes (DFI) by the 2022-23 period, a target set by the Narendra Modi government in 2016-17.However, Bihar, Uttarakhand, along with the Union Territories, have successfully achieved this goal.This information was revealed in a new policy paper titled “Doubling Farmers’ Income: A Promising Target Fraught with Challenges,” released by former Union Agriculture Secretary Siraj Hussain. The analysis indicates that India has fallen short of the DFI goal by 25 per cent. Furthermore, the contribution of the farm sector to doubling farmers’ incomes has decreased compared to the non-farm sector. In 2016-17, the Indian government set the goal of doubling farmers’ total income by 2022-23, using 2015-16 as the baseline year. The study extrapolated farmers’ income from 2018-19 to 2022-23 and compared it with the government’s target. It showed that only two states—Bihar and Uttarakhand—and the combined North-eastern states achieved the target. The study suggests that the possibility of attaining DFI in the near future is higher in states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, as these states have registered income growth trends ranging from 20% to 50%. However, the study emphasizes the slim chances of achieving the DFI goal in five states: Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, and West Bengal.
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