Lok Sabha Question No. 538 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-25
Subject: Farmer’s Suicide
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Rahul Ramesh Shewale, N.K. Premachandran, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Adoor Prakash

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 538

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 25 TH   JUNE, 2019

## FARMER'S  SUICIDE

538.      SHRI RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE: SHRI N.K. PREMACHANDRAN: SHRI  BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB: ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH:

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

- (a) whether cases of farmer's suicide have increased in the country during each of the last three years and the current year and if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
- (b) whether  the  farmers  are  being  given  150  to  200  per  cent  of  input  costs  of  their agricultural produce as Minimum Support Price (MSP), if so, the details thereof along with  the mechanism  developed  by  the Government to address the issue of inflation while deciding the MSP;
- (c) the corrective steps taken by the Government to provide appropriate MSP to  farmers for  their  agricultural  produce keeping in view high inflation and farmer's suicide; and
- (d) whether  the  Government  has proposed  any  urgent  steps  to  waive  off crop  loans from  various  banks including cooperative  banks  and  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a):            The  National  Crime  Records  Bureau  (NCRB)  under  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs compiles  and  disseminates  information  on  suicides  in  its  publication  titled  'Accidental  Deaths and Suicides in India' (ADSI). These Reports on suicides are available upto 2015 on its website. The Report for the year 2016 onwards has not been published.
- (b) & (c):     Government fixed MSPs of 22 mandated Kharif and Rabi crops for every season and  Fair  &  Remunerative  Price  (FRP)  for  sugarcane  on  the  basis  of  recommendations  of Commission  for  Agricultural  Costs  &  Prices  (CACP),  after  considering  the  views  of  State Governments  and  Central  Ministries/Departments  concerned  &  other  relevant  factors.  In addition,  MSP  for  Toria  and  De-Husked  coconut  is  also  fixed  on  the  basis  of  MSPs  of Rapeseed/Mustard and Copra respectively.

While  recommending  MSPs, CACP considers important factors like cost  of production, overall  demand-supply  conditions,  domestic  and  international  prices,  inter-crop  price  parity, terms of trade between agricultural and non- agricultural sectors, the likely effect on the rest of the  economy, besides ensuring rational utilization of productive resources like land and water and a minimum of 50 percent as the margin over cost of production.

The Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced the pre-determined principle to keep MSP at levels of one and half times the cost of production. Accordingly, Government has increased MSPs for all mandated crops with a return of at least 50 percent over all India weighted average cost of production for the season 2018-19. These MSP crops cover approximately 99 per cent of the total agricultural production in the country.

There exists a transparent and uniform policy for procurement by Government Agencies. Under this procurement policy, wheat and paddy offered by farmers within the stipulated period and  conforming  to  the  specifications  (Fair  Average  Quality  norms)  prescribed  in  advance  by Government of India (GOI), are purchased at Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the Government Agencies and Food Corporation of India (FCI) for Central Pool. Coarse grains are procured by State  Governments  as  per  the  procurement  plan  prepared  in  consultation  with  FCI  and approved by the Central Government for distribution under National Food Security (NFSA) and Other Welfare  Schemes (OWS). However, farmers are free to sell their produce  in  the  open market if they find the price and conditions favorable. The objective of food grains procurement by Government agencies is to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices for their produce and do  not  have  to  resort  to  distress  sale.  The  progressive  agri-market  reforms,  e-NAM  and upgradation  of  22,000  Gramin  Agri-Market  (GrAMs)  are  also  aimed  at  ensuring  remunerative returns to farmers.

(d):         No  proposal on waiver of crop loans at present is under consideration of the Central Government.  However,  the  farmers  affected  due  to  severe  natural  calamities,  an  interest subvention  of  2  percent  per  annum  will  be  made  available  to  the  banks  for  first  three  years/ entire period (subject to a maximum of five years) on the restructured loan amount.  Further, in all  such  cases,  the  benefit  of  prompt  repayment  incentive  @  3%  per  annum  shall  also  be provided  to  the  affected  farmers.  The  grant  of  such  benefits  in  cases  of  severe  natural calamities  shall,  however,  be  decided  by  a  High  Level  Committee  (HLC)  based  on  the recommendation of the Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) and Sub Committee of National Executive Committee (SC-NEC).

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