Doubling farmers’ income by 2022 it now appears will not be a snap, with reduced earnings from crop production amid increased debts, as shown by the latest findings of the National Sample Survey (NSS). This has highlighted the need for a strong policy response to reverse the trend.

       Incomes from crop production have dropped while wages have become the mainstay for rural households, experts say. This trend was seen in the last NSS of 2013, followed by the Financial Inclusion Survey of 2015-16 (of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) and now the current ...