Over 4.5 Crore Farmers Registered; Many States Lagging Behind

Punjab, Haryana, and Karnataka are yet to join the central farmers' registry, an ambitious scheme aimed at digitizing agricultural records and streamlining benefits distribution. So far, 4.52 crore farmers out of a targeted 10.01 crore across 12 states have been issued unique Farmer IDs linked to Aadhaar. These states include Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Odisha.

Progress and Lagging States

Significant progress has been made in states such as Madhya Pradesh (72%), Maharashtra (68%), Gujarat (62%), and Rajasthan (60%), where a substantial portion of targeted farmers have received IDs. Conversely, participation in states like Odisha, Bihar, and Telangana remains remarkably low due to late initiation:

Importance of Farmer Registry

The farmer registry is central to creating a reliable and transparent agricultural data system. Currently, it registers land-holding farmers, with plans to include non-land-owning farmers in subsequent phases. Each farmer receives a unique ID, ensuring easy verification for various government benefits such as Minimum Support Price (MSP) payments and crop insurance claims under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

A senior official noted that this digital infrastructure, part of the Agristack initiative, significantly reduces fraudulent claims and streamlines the process, enabling farmers to complete scheme registrations in less than five minutes without submitting any physical documents.

Efforts to Increase Participation

Given the slow participation from major agricultural states like Punjab, Haryana, and Karnataka, experts suggest that high-level political discussions are necessary to encourage these states to join. The agriculture ministry may follow the cooperative ministry’s approach in ensuring full adoption of this initiative, similar to recent successes with cooperative reforms.

The government also plans to introduce personalized advisory services, providing registered farmers with tailored recommendations on crop selection, soil health, weather conditions, and optimal land use, thereby boosting productivity and efficiency in the agricultural sector.