Lok Sabha Question No. 2617 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-01
Subject: Fall in Prices of Vegetables and Pulses
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: JAYADEV GALLA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2617

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 1 ST  AUGUST, 2017

## FALL IN PRICES OF VEGETABLES AND PULSES

## 2617.   SHRI JAYADEV GALLA:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it has come to the notice of the Government that there has been unprecedented fall in the prices of vegetables and pulses in major cities of the country;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  manner  in  which  the  Government  is  likely  to  protect farmers from the fall in prices;
- (c) whether the Government has intervened to stabilize prices through Market Intervention Scheme during the current year and the last one year; and
- (d) if  so,  the  details  of  such  intervention  and  commodities  purchased  from  the  farmers through the said scheme, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI S.S. AHLUWALIA)

- (a) to (d): The  prices  of  vegetables  and  pulses  are  determined  by  the  market  forces  of supply and demand. Government offers to procure major agricultural crops at MSP. However, farmers are free to sell their produce to Government procurement agencies at MSP or in the open market as is advantageous to them.

Government  implements  Price  Support  Scheme(PSS)  and  Price  Stabilization  Fund (PSF)  for  procurement  of  pulses  from  the  farmers  through  Central  Agencies  viz.  National Agricultural Cooperative  Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), Small Farmers' Agri-business Consortium (SFAC), Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF) and Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Procurement of pulses for Kharif Marketing Season 2016-17 (as on 12.04.2017) are as under:-

(Lakh Metric Tonnes)

| Pulses   |   All India |
|----------|-------------|
| Tur      |       10.12 |
| Urad     |        0.88 |
| Moong    |        2.2  |

Government  also  implements  Market  Intervention  Scheme  (MIS)  for  procurement  of agricultural and horticultural commodities including onion which are perishable in nature and are not  covered  under  the  Price  Support  Scheme.  The  objective  of  intervention  is  to  protect  the growers of these commodities from making distress sale in the event of bumper crop during the peak arrival period when the prices tend to fall below economic levels and cost of production. It is  implemented on the specific request of the concerned State/UT Government, which has to bear  50%  of  the  loss  (25%  in  case  of  North-Eastern  States),  if  any,  incurred  on  its implementation.

Government  has  approved  following  MIS  proposals  of  State  Governments  for  the procurement of vegetables in the year 2016-17 and 2017-18:

i. MIS proposals of State Governments of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Telangana for procurement of onion.

ii. MIS  proposals  of  State  Governments  of  Uttar  Pradesh  and  Nagaland  for procurement of Potato.

iii. MIS  proposals  of  State  Governments  of  Andhra  Pradesh  and  Telangana  for procurement of Red Chilli.

iv. MIS  proposal  of  State  Government  of  Andhra  Pradesh  for  procurement  of Turmeric.

v. MIS proposal of State Government of Rajasthan for procurement of Garlic.

vi. MIS  proposal  of  State  Government  of  Arunachal  Pradesh  for  procurement  of Ginger.

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