Lok Sabha Question No. 292 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-18
Subject: Production Cost of Agricultural Produce
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: DEVJI MANSINGRAM PATEL

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 292

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 18 TH  JULY, 2017

## PRODUCTION COST OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE

## 292.   SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL:

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

- (a) whether the commercialisation of agriculture involves the maximum use of pesticides and fertilizers  and  excessive  use  of  groundwater  which  has  resulted  in  indebtedness  of  Indian farmers and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  neglect  of  livestocks  and  rising  cost  of  fodder  have  forced  the  Indian farmers to rely on tractors for agriculture;
- (c) if so, whether the reliance on tractors has further aggravated the problem of negligence of livestocks and the production of organic fertilizer has almost dipped, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the agriculture yield has also decreased and the input costs increased due to overuse of chemical fertilizers resulting in the dominance of foreign multinational companies in Indian agriculture through foreign seeds and pesticides; and
- (e) if so, the schemes formulated by the Government to minimise input costs and to end the dominance of multinational companies in Indian agriculture?

## ANSWER

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

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

- (a): There is no specific study available with the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) which solely attributes maximum  use  of  pesticides  and  excessive  use  of  groundwater  to  indebtedness  of  Indian farmers.  However,  as  per  Economic  Survey  2015-16,  India's  pesticides  usage  is  0.5  kg  per hectare, which is low as compared to other countries, such as, 7.0 kg per hectare in the USA, 2.5 kg per hectare in Europe, 12 kg per hectare in Japan and 6.6 kg per hectare in Korea. In addition,  as  per  the  Ground Water  Resources  estimation  jointly  carried  by  CGWB  and  State Govt. (as on 2013), there is decline in long term trend of ground water level.

(b) & (c): There is no specific study available with the Department  of Agriculture, Cooperation  and  Farmers  Welfare  (DAC&FW)  which  can  relate  the  neglect  of  livestock  and rising  cost  of  rising  cost  of  fodder  have  forced  the  Indian  farmers  to  rely  on  tractors  for agriculture.  However,  as  per  the  data  available,  the  population  of  draft  animals  has  been reduced from 80.4 million during 1960-61 to 47.7 million during 2014-15.

There is more inclination towards the use of tractors and other farm machinery due to its versatility for various agricultural applications from seed bed preparation to harvesting of crop. Farm mechanization helps in efficient utilization of inputs to increase the productivity of land and labour.  Besides  it  helps  in  reducing  the  drudgery  in  farm  operations  and  also  enabling  the farmers to raise a second crop or multi crop making the Indian agriculture attractive and a way of  life  by  becoming  commercial  instead  of  subsistence  and  make  Agriculture  more  profitable and attractive profession for Rural youth. As per the study of ICAR, estimated contributions from farm mechanization is as below.

- i. Savings in seeds: 15-20%;
- ii. Savings in fertilizers: 15-20%;
- iii. Increase in cropping intensity: 5-20%;
- iv. Savings in time: 20-30%; and
- v. Reduction in manual labour: 20-30%; and
- vi. Overall increase in farm productivity 10-15 %

(d): The agriculture yield of the foodgrains in the last three years are as follows:

|                  |         |         | (Kg/hectare)                     |
|------------------|---------|---------|----------------------------------|
|                  | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 (3 rd Advance Estimate ) |
| Total Foodgrains | 2028    | 2042    | 2142                             |

In  addition,  as  per  Commission  for  Agricultural  Costs  &  Prices  (CACP),  price  policy reports for Kharif and Rabi 2017-18, the Composite Input Price Index (CIPI) has increased for the last three years.

(e): The Government is implementing 'Strengthening and Modernization of Pest Management Approach in India'  Scheme,  wherein,  Farmers  Field  Schools  (FFSs)  are  being organized  to  sensitize  farmers  about  Integrated  Pest  Management  (IPM)  approach  so  as  to reduce  dependence  on  chemical  pesticides  and  encourage  use  of  bio-pesticides  and  other alternative  plant  protection  measures.  In  addition,  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture  and  Farmers Welfare  is  implementing  various  schemes,  wherein,  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  the farmers for procurement of inputs like machineries, bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, etc.

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