Lok Sabha Question No. 419 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-05
Subject: Problems of Chilli Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: PINAKI MISRA

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.419

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  5 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019

## PROBLEMS OF CHILLI FARMERS

## 419.   SHRI PINAKI MISRA:

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

- (a) whether  the  chilli  producing  farmers  have  had  a  severe  setback  in  the  recent  past because of the high value of production investment and steep fall in the prices of the product, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has been able to find out the cause for the steep fall in the prices of chilli, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whether the Government has any plans of bailing out the farmers who are in severe crisis due to the steep fall in the prices of chilli, if so, the details thereof?

## 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) & (b): No, Madam. The prices of chillies during the current year (2018-19) are steady and on the rise. The prices showed a decline from January 2017 to December 2017, which was mainly due to the increase in production during the year 2016-17.
- (c): Government has taken several initiatives for remunerative prices to farmers:

Market  Intervention  Scheme  (MIS)  for  procurement  of  agricultural  and  horticultural commodities,  which  are  generally  perishable  in  nature,  is  being  implemented.  The  basic objective of MIS is to protect the growers of these commodities from making distress sale in the event of a bumper crop during the peak arrival period when the prices tend to fall below economic levels and cost of production. The MIS is implemented on the specific request of the State Government/UTs Administration willing to share losses with the Central Government on 50:50 basis (75:25 in case of North-Eastern States).

Government is  implementing  National  Agricultural  Market  (e-NAM)  with  objective  to reduce price gap, induce competition and transparency in sale transaction, e-NAM has been implemented in 585 wholesale markets in 18 States/UTs in which competitive online bidding system has been introduced for better price realization by the farmers.

Further to enable the farmers to get better remunerative prices, AGMARKNET portal is  providing  information  to  farmers  on  prices  and  arrivals  of  agricultural  commodities  in regulated markets.

The Government has released a new model 'The Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing  (Promotion  &  Facilitation)  Act,  2017'  on  24 th April,  2017  for  its  adoption  by States/UTs. The provisions include setting up of private markets, direct marketing, farmerconsumer markets, special commodity markets, declaring warehouses/silos/cold storages or such structures as market sub yards. Adoption of these reforms by State, create alternate marketing channels for better price realization by farmers.

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