Lok Sabha Question No. 1046 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-13
Subject: Committee on MSP
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Vijayakumar (alias) Vijay Vasanth, Rajmohan Unnithan, Deepak Baij, Harsimrat Kaur Badal

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1046

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 13 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

## COMMITTEE ON MSP

1046   SHRI VIJAYAKUMAR (ALIAS) VIJAY VASANTH: SHRI DEEPAK BAIJ; SHRIMATI HARSIMRAT KAUR BADAL; SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN;

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ षि एवं षकसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state :-

- a) whether  the  commitment  of  constituting  a  Committee  on  guaranteed  Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the Union Government made to the agitating farmers last year has been fulfilled, if so, the details regarding its current status and composition and if not, the reasons for the delay;
- b) whether the Samyukta Kisan Morcha has alleged that the Government has failed to fulfil its promise of constituting a Committee on guaranteed MSP and if so, the details thereof;
- c) whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  introduce  a  Bill  providing  for  legal guarantee of MSP for all agricultural products during the coming sessions as assured to Samyukta Kisan Morcha in 2021;
- d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- e) whether the  Government  plans  to  expand  the  MSP  regime  from  22  mandated agricultural  crops  to  other  crops,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  if  not,  the  reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

क ृ षि एवं षकसान कल्याण मंत्री

(SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  to  (d)              The  Government  has  constituted  a  Committee  in  July,  2022  vide notification no. 3053 dated 18-07-2022 (copy enclosed) which consists representatives of  farmers,  Central  Government,  adequate  representation  of  State  Governments, eminent Agriculture Economists & Scientists etc. The Committee is to make

suggestions  so  as  to  make  Minimum  Support  Price  (MSP)  more  effective  and transparent;  to  promote  natural  farming;  to  change  crop  pattern  keeping  in  mind  the changing  needs  of  the  country.  The  meetings  of  the  Committee  are  being  held  on regular basis to deliberate on the subject matters assigned to it.

(e) The  inclusion  of  crops  under  MSP  framework  is  dependent  on  several  factors such as crops should be widely grown, item of mass consumption, fiscal consideration and has relatively longer shelf life, among others. Time to time, Government examines these factors while adding new crop under the MSP regime.

- S.O. 3211(E).-As per announcement of Hon'ble Prime Minister that 'A committee will be constituted to promote Zero budget based farming, to change crop pattern keeping in mind the changing needs of the country,  and  to  make  MSP  more  effective  and  transparent  &  that  the  committee  will  consist  of representatives of the Central Government and State Governments, Farmers, Agricultural Scientists and

## MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare) NOTIFICATION New Delhi, 12th July, 2022 Agricultural Economists'; a committee is being constituted as follows 1. Chairman Shri Sanjay Agrawal (Former Agriculture Secretary) 2. Member NITI Aayog (Agriculture) Shri Ramesh Chand 3. Agricultural Economist (i) Dr. C.S.C. Shekhar (Indian Institute of Economic Development) (ii) Dr. Sukhpal Singh (IIM, Ahmedabad) 4 THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY [PART II-SEC. 3(ii)] 4. National Award Winning Farmer Shri Bharat Bhushan Tyagi 5. Representatives of Farmers (i) Three members from Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (names to be added on receipt) (ii) Members from other farmer organizations - Mr. Gunwant Patil - Shri Krishnaveer Choudhary - Mr. Pramod Kumar Choudhary - Shri Guni Prakash - Mr. Sayyed Pasha Patel 6. Representative of Farmers' Cooperative/Group (i) Shri Dilip Sanghani, Chairman, IFFCO (ii) Shri Binod Anand, General Secretary, CNRI 7. Senior Member of the CACP Mr. Naveen P. Singh 8. Senior Member of Agricultural Universities/Institutions

- (i) Dr. P. Chandrashekhar, Director General, National Institute of Agricultural Extension (MANAGE)
- (ii) Dr. J.P. Sharma, Vice Chancellor, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology,

Jammu (iii) Dr. Pradeep Kumar Bisen, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur 9. Representative of the Government of India (i) Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (ii) Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General (ICAR) (iii) Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution (iv) Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation (v) Secretary, Ministry of Textiles 10. Representatives of State Governments (i) Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Commissioner Agriculture, Karnataka (ii) Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Commissioner Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh, (iii) Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Commissioner Agriculture, Sikkim (iv) Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Commissioner Agriculture, Odisha 11.Member-Secretary Joint Secretary (Crops) Subject matter of constitution of the Committee A) M. S. P.

1. Suggestions to make available MSP to farmers of the country by making the system more effective and transparent.
2. Suggestions on practicality to give more autonomy to Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and measures to make it more scientific.
3. To strengthen the Agricultural Marketing System as per the changing requirements of the country to ensure higher value to the farmers through remunerative prices of their produce by taking advantage of the domestic and export opportunities.
- B) Natural Farming
1.  Suggestions  for  programmes  and  schemes  for  value  chain  development,  protocol  validation  & research for future needs and support for area expansion under the Indian Natural Farming System by publicity and through involvement and contribution of farmer organizations.
2.  To  suggest  strategies  for  making  Krishi  Vigyan  Kendra  (KVKs)  and  other  Research  &  Development institutions  as  knowledge  centres,  and  introduction  of  natural  farming  system  curriculum  and  skill development courses in the Universities & other educational Institutions.
3. To suggest farmer friendly alternative certification system and marketing system for natural farming processes and products.
4.  To  suggest  methods  and  means  for  international  coordination  to  strengthen  the  value  chain development of natural farming. 5. Chain of laboratories for organic certification of products produced through natural farming. C. Crop Diversification 1. Mapping of existing cropping patterns of agro-ecological zones of producer and consumer states. 2. Strategy for diversification policy to change the cropping pattern according to the changing needs of the country. 3. Arrangement for agricultural diversification & system to ensure remunerative prices for the sale of new crops. 4. Review and suggestion on micro irrigation scheme.

[F. No. 12/7/22-S.S.] SHUBHA THAKUR, Jt. Secy

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