Lok Sabha Question No. 908 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-07
Subject: Committee on MSP
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Rajmohan Unnithan

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 908

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 07 TH  FEBRUARY, 2023

## COMMITTEE ON MSP

908. SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

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

- (a) Whether Government has set up a Committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) as promised in December 2021;
- (b) If so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) Whether the Government will include members from every State Government in the Committee;
- (d) Whether the Government plans to expand the MSP regime from 22 mandated agricultural crops to other crops; and
- (e) 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  (c):    The  Government  has  constituted  a  Committee  in  July,  2022  vide Notification No. 3053 dated 18-07-2022 (copy enclosed) which consists representative 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.

(d) & (e):    Government fixes Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for 22 mandated crops based  on  the  recommendations  of  the  Commission  for  Agriculture  Costs  &  Prices (CACP)  after  considering  the  views  of  concerned  State  Governments  and  Central Ministries/Departments.

The  union  Budget  for  2018-19  had  announced  the  pre-determined  principle  to  keep MSP at levels of one and half times of the cost of production. Accordingly, Government has increased the MSPs for all mandated Kharif, Rabi and other commercial crops with a return of at least 50 per cent over all India weighted average cost of production from the  agricultural  year  2018-19.  In  line  with  the  same  principle,  Government  has announced the increase in MSP for all mandated Kharif crops of year 2022-23 on 8 th June, 2022 and for all mandated Rabi crops of year 2022-23 on 18 th  October, 2022.

## 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 Bhushan Tyagi

5. Representatives of Farmers
2. (i) Three members from Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (names to be added on receipt)
3. (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.

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