National Master Plan for the Arable Agriculture and Dairy Development (NAMPAADD). Implementation Guidelines.

The National Master Plan for the Arable Agriculture and Dairy Development (NAMPAADD) is a strategic document whose aim is to improve the performance of the agricultural sector, by modernizing it through the introduction of improved technologies and efficient use and management of land and water resources and by improving access to markets. The document seeks to make agriculture competitive and reduce the country’s reliance on imports of agricultural produce that can be viably produced locally.
Food security is the cornerstone of NAMPAADD, which aims to help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.
The plan also aims to make agriculture more productive and sustainable. It sets out the following specific objectives: diversification of the agricultural production base; increased agricultural output and productivity; provision of a secure and productive environment for agricultural producers; conservation of scarce agricultural and land resources for future generations.
In order to enable efficient and integrated agricultural and food systems, special emphasis will be on promoting agriculture as a business by investing in both primary production and processing to exploit the existing potential. This objective will be pursued through programmes enabling traditional and subsistence farmers to transform their operations to commercial level, as well as to enable commercial farmers upgrade their level of management and technology application. Specific guidelines are laid down as per different sub-sectors: rainfed agriculture; irrigated agriculture; dairy farming; infrastructure; post harvest facilities; grain storage facilities; irrigation water supply. Among other measures, the Government will develop special programmes, including improved access to credit and land for young farmers and female-headed households to enable them to venture into commercial agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture will develop specific policies to guide the development of urban agriculture, irrigation and horticultural development. Farmers will be encouraged to form associations, and existing ones will be strengthened and institutionalized to facilitate implementation of improved production systems and marketing of agricultural produce.
Risk minimization is envisaged too. The objective is to increment resilience of livelihoods to disasters. In order to minimize farmer's risk caused by annual and in-season climatic variability and by other extreme natural disasters, an insurance fund will be established to cover crop or milk production losses in years and in specific regions declared as eligible for compensation. This will in turn increase confidence in investing in agriculture and new technologies.
Reforms in the Ministry of Agriculture shall be drafted to successfully implement the Master Plan.