Lok Sabha Question No. 4546 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Committee on MSP
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Sukhbir Singh Badal

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4546

TO BE ANSWERED ON 28 TH  MARCH, 2023

## MSP COMMITTEE ON MSP

## 4546.   SHRI SUKHBIR SINGH BADAL

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

- (a) Whether the Government has received reports on widespread protest from various quarters for  non-inclusion  of  a  member  from  the  agrarian  State  of  Punjab  in  the  committee  set  up  by  the Government on Minimum Support Price (MSP);
- (b) Whether the Government is aware that three farm law protests mainly originated from States of Punjab and Haryana and Punjab's role in the protest is critical and if so, the reasons for exclusion of representatives from Punjab for the committee on MSP;
- (c) Whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  include  representative  of  farmers  into  the committee on MSP; and
- (d) If so, the likely time for the inclusion of the representative and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## कृ ष एवं कसान क  याण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a) to (d): The  Government  has  constituted  a  Committee  vide  notification  dated  18.07.2022 which  consists  representatives  of  farmers,  eminent  Agriculture  Economists  &  Scientists  Central Government,  adequate  representation  of  State  Governments,  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 meetingsof the Committee are being held on regular basis to deliberate on the subject matters assigned to it.

## MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

(Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare)

## NOTIFICATION

New Delhi, 12th July, 2022

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 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
2. (i) Dr. C.S.C. Shekhar (Indian Institute of Economic Development)
3. (ii) Dr.Sukhpal Singh (IIM, Ahmedabad)
4. National Award Winning Farmer

Shri Bharat BhushanTyagi

5. Representatives of Farmers
2. (i) Three members from SanyuktaKisanMorcha (names to be added on receipt)
3. (ii) Members from other farmer organizations
- Mr. GunwantPatil
- Shri KrishnaveerChoudhary
- Mr. Pramod Kumar Choudhary
- Shri Guni Prakash
- Mr. Sayyed Pasha Patel
6. Representative of Farmers' Cooperative/Group
10. (i) Shri DilipSanghani, Chairman, IFFCO
11. (ii) Shri BinodAnand, General Secretary, CNRI
7. Senior Member of the CACP

Mr. Naveen P. Singh

8. Senior Member of Agricultural Universities/Institutions
2. (i) Dr. P. Chandrashekhar, Director General, National Institute of Agricultural Extension (MANAGE)
3. (ii) Dr. J.P. Sharma, Vice Chancellor, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu
4. (iii) Dr. Pradeep Kumar Bisen, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur
9. Representative of the Government of India
6. (i) Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
7. (ii) Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General (ICAR)
8. (iii) Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution
9. (iv) Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation
10. (v) Secretary, Ministry of Textiles
10. Representatives of State Governments
12. (i) Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Commissioner Agriculture, Karnataka
13. (ii) Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Commissioner Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh,
14. (iii) Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Commissioner Agriculture, Sikkim (iv) Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Commissioner Agriculture, Odisha
15. 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  KrishiVigyan  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