Lok Sabha Question No. 226 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-11
Subject: Failure of Agriculture Policy
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.226

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  11 TH  DECEMBER, 2018

## FAILURE OF AGRICULTURE POLICY

226.   SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA:

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

- (a) whether  the  Union  Government's  agriculture  policy  has  completely  been  proved ineffective to resolve the distress among farmers across the country;
- (b) if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  the  State  Government's  and  the  Union  Government's  agencies  are  not procuring agricultural goods/produce  even  at  MSP  resulting  in  farmers  leaving  their goods/produce on roads; and
- (d) if  so,  the  steps  proposed  by  the  Union  Government  to  address  structural  issues  of farmers?

## 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): Agriculture being a State subject, the State Governments undertakes development of perspective plans and ensures effective implementation of the programmes/ schemes.  Also,  Government  of  India  supplements  the  efforts  of  the  State  Governments through various Schemes/ Programmes.

The Government is targeting to double the income of the farmers by the year 2022. To achieve this, the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers' Welfare has taken a  number  of  measures.    The  Government  is  aiming  to  reorient  the  agriculture  sector  by focusing on an income-centeredness in addition to pure production centeredness approach. The Department has, therefore, been implementing various schemes to meet this objective viz.  Pradhan  Mantri  Annadata  Aay  Sanrakshan  Abhiyan  (PM-AASHA),  Soil  Health  Card (SHC)  scheme,  Neem  Coated  Urea,  Paramparagat  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (PKVY),  Pradhan Mantri  Krishi  Sinchai  Yojana  (PMKSY),  National  Agriculture  Market  Scheme  (e-NAM), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Interest Subvention Scheme etc.

(c) & (d): Government fixes the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) of various agricultural crops on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP), after  ascertaining  the  views  of  State  Governments  and  Central  Ministries/  Departments concerned. While recommending MSPs, CACP considers the cost of production and host of factors such as demand-supply situation, trends in domestic and international prices, intercrop  price  parity,  terms  of  trade  between  agricultural  and  non-agricultural  sectors  and  the likely  impact  of  MSP  on  consumers  and  overall  economy  along  with  rational  utilization  of scarce natural resources like land and water.

Government has increased the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all notified Kharif & Rabi Crops and other commercial crops for the season 2018-19 with a return of atleast 50 percent over cost of production. This decision of the Government was a historic one as it redeemed the promise of fixing the MSPs atleast at a level of 50 per cent return over cost of production as announced in the Union Budget 2018-19.

Government of India has approved an umbrella scheme of Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan' (PM-AASHA) to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers comprising of Price Support Scheme (PSS) for pulses, oilseeds and copra, Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS), and pilot of Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPSS) for oilseeds  and  existing  schemes  of  Department  of  Food  &  Public  Distribution  (DFPD)  and Ministry of Textiles for other MSP notified crops.

During the period from 2014-15 to 2018-19, a quantity of 93.97 lakh MT of pulses and oilseeds  valuing  Rs.  44,142.50  crore  were  procured  at  MSP  by  various  agencies  of Government of India.

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