(MENAFN- Live Mint)

New Delhi: The Centre is planning to introduce a comprehensive tech-enabled monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanism to ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach the farmers in full, and without fail.

As per the plan, states will be tasked with conducting quarterly meetings with farmers and other stakeholders, including panchayat representatives, at the block, district, and state-levels to assess whether the central schemes meant for farmers are being implemented effectively, two officials aware of the matter said on the condition of anonymity.

The agricultural ministry's plan assumes significance, as it seeks to bridge the gap between policy formulation and implementation, ensuring that farmers not only receive the full benefits of central and state schemes but also understand them better.

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Agricultural feedback

By creating a regular feedback and review mechanism, the government aims to make farmers more aware of the available support programmes, address their grievances in a timely manner, and encourage them to adopt improved and sustainable farming practices.

According to the first official, there is an urgent need to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation system to make sure that government schemes and programmes effectively reach farmers-especially small and marginal ones-hence the framework is being designed.

Queries sent to the Union agriculture ministry remained unanswered till press time.

Agriculture remains the backbone of India's economy, employing nearly half the population and contributing about 18% to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). There are more than 27 farmer-centric schemes run by the Union ministry of agriculture, including central sector schemes (fully funded by the Centre) and centrally-sponsored schemes (jointly funded by the Centre and states). Some of the popular schemes include Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Formation and Promotion of new FPOs, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), and Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM).

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"Small and marginal farmers often remain unaware of government schemes due to a lack of access to information and low literacy levels. Additionally, complicated application procedures and language barriers discourage participation. As a result, the benefits meant for them under various agricultural and financial assistance schemes fail to reach them," said Umendra Dutt, executive director, Kheti Virasat Mission, an non-profit engaged in the promotion of natural farming.

Many government benefits either remain underutilised or fail to reach the intended beneficiaries.“Through effective monitoring and evaluation, real-time data collection and grassroots-level feedback can be ensured, which are vital for designing impactful policy interventions," said the second official cited earlier.

"Since we are a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) with 300 farmers associated with us and registered with the Department of Horticulture, the dissemination of information regarding government schemes and programmes is relatively easy. However, for individual farmers, it becomes very difficult to access such information," said Anuraaj Singh, chief executive, Pehowa Vegetable Producer Company Ltd, an FPO operating in Haryana.

"Such a mechanism could make a real difference for farmers like us," said Bajirao Gagare, an onion grower in Maharashtra. "If the government and officials interact with us more often, it will not only help in solving our problems faster, but also make us more aware of the schemes meant for us. It can motivate farmers to try new practices, improve crop quality, and secure better yields for the future," said Gagare, who runs 'Hi Maitri Vicharanchi', a farmers' group on social media.

The proposed monitoring system is also expected to empower farmers by increasing transparency and enabling them to understand and demand their rightful entitlements. As the government continues to roll out new schemes, stakeholders are calling for integrated, tech-enabled M&E systems that can deliver timely insights and improve outcomes on the ground.

"There is a need to strengthen agricultural extension services to ensure that information about government schemes and programmes effectively reaches farmers, and is properly implemented. Without active and efficient extension services, the benefits of these schemes often fail to reach the intended beneficiaries," said R.S. Ghuman, a former faculty member at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), and currently Professor of Eminence at Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjab.

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Foodgrain growth

India is set to record a sharp rise in foodgrain production in 2024–25, supported by a good monsoon, higher acreage, and improved access to inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation. According to the third advance estimates released by the ministry of agriculture and farmers' welfare in May 2025, total foodgrain production is pegged at about 353.9 million tonnes (mt), compared to 332.3 mt in 2023–24.

Rice production is estimated at 149 mt, while wheat output is expected to reach 117.5 mt.

The government has attributed this broad-based growth to better implementation of crop management programmes, expansion of irrigation facilities, and timely availability of quality inputs under various central and state schemes.

The government has set a target of around 362.5 million tonnes of foodgrain output for the 2025–26 crop year, banking on continued favourable weather conditions and higher productivity.

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