Lauding the interim Union Budget 2019, Mr. Rajesh Srivastava, Executive Chairman, Rabo Equity Advisors, said, “We welcome Government’s decisions on interest subventions for farmers both in quantum and the tweak to extend subvention for crop loss due to calamities across the loan tenor instead of just 1 year shows the feel for woes of farmers. Direct Benefit Support of Rs 6000 per year under the new PM Kisan Samman Yojana has to be sustainable and hence should be framed to intertwine productive use of the subsidy. The scheme has a huge outlay of Rs 75,000 crore for the year 2019 and would be interesting to see the impact on resources. I think the move to segregate the Department of Fisheries from the Department of Animal Husbandry is also well thoight out as fisheries was getting subsumed in other parts of animal husbandry. I am missing thrusts on yields based insurance which is a must for farmers. I am also missing a follow up announcement on increasing credit flow to food processing. I remain convinced that we need a Nabard like institution in a PPP model to catalyse credit flow to food processing, which is as valuable to farmers as primary agriculture. ”