Lok Sabha Question No. 1993 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-01
Subject: MSP Approval for Copra
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Prajwal Revanna

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1993

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 1 ST  AUGUST, 2023

## MSP APPROVAL FOR COPRA

## 1993.  SHRI PRAJWAL REVANNA:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) approved by  the  Government  for  fair  average  quality  Milling  copra  fixed  at  Rs.  10860  per quintal and for ball copra at Rs. 11750 which is very less, meagre, unscientific and less than production cost of the copra;
- (b)  the  action  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  towards  ensuring  better remunerative returns to the coconut growers;
- (c)  whether the  Government proposes to review the MSP recommendations made by CACP for copra and increase the MSP to Rs. 20000 per quintal;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  is  also  aware  that  NAFED,  NCCF  have  stopped procurement of copra,if so, the reasons for the same along with the actionproposed to be taken to restore the procurement ofcopra; and
- (e)  the  action  taken  by  the  Government  for  the  redressal  of  stem  bleeding  and  bud rotten diseases of the plant?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी ( SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a) to (c): Government has fixedMinimum Support Prices (MSP) of Copra for 2023Season, on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), views of State Governments and Central Ministries/Departments concerned.While recommending MSP, CACP considers importantfactors like overall demand-supply conditions, cost of production, domestic and international prices, inter-crop price  parity,  terms  of  trade  between  agricultural  and  non-agricultural  sectors,  the  likely effect on the rest of the economy, besides ensuring rational utilization of land, water and other  production  resources  and  a  minimum  of  50  percent  as  the  margin  over  cost  of production

Minimum  Support  Price  (MSP)  of  milling  copra  at  ₹  10860/-  per  quintal  and  ball copra at ₹ 11750/- per quintal for 2023 seasonprovidesa margin of 52 percent for milling copra and  64  percent  for  ball  copra  over  all-India  weighted  average  cost  of  production, respectively, conforming to the principle of fixing MSP at a level of one and half times of the cost of production as announced in Union Budget 2018-19.

(d):  Government  is  implementing  Price  Support  Scheme  (PSS)  under  the  umbrella scheme  of Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan  Abhiyan (PM-AASHA)  for procurement  of  copra  directly  from  pre-registered  farmers  conforming  to  the  prescribed Fair  Average  Quality  (FAQ)  norms  by  Central  Nodal  Agencies  through  the  State  level agencies at MSP as and when prices fall below the MSP during the harvesting period.This scheme  is  implemented  at  the  request  of  the  concerned  State  Government  /  Union Territories which agrees to exempt the procured commodities from levy of mandi tax and assist  Central  Nodal  Agencies  in  logistic  arrangements,  including  gunny  bags,  working capital for state agencies, creation of revolving fund for PSS operations, etc. as required under the scheme guidelines. The procurement details of Copra under PSS during the last 2 years aregiven as under:

| Copraprocured at MSP under PSS as on 25.07.2023   | Copraprocured at MSP under PSS as on 25.07.2023   | Copraprocured at MSP under PSS as on 25.07.2023   |
|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| PSS Operation                                     | State                                             | Quantity Procured (in MT)                         |
| Milling Copra 2022                                | Tamil Nadu                                        | 40593.51                                          |
| Milling Copra 2022                                | Kerala                                            | 255.85                                            |
| Ball Copra 2023                                   | Karnataka                                         | 47963.4                                           |
| Milling Copra 2023                                | Tamil Nadu                                        | 53782.88                                          |
| Milling Copra 2023                                | Kerala                                            | 74.68                                             |

(e):  Coconut  Development  Board,  a  statutory  body  under  Ministry  of  Agriculture  and Farmers' Welfare,is implementing schemes viz. 'Replanting and rejuvenation of coconut gardens" and "Laying out of Demonstration Plots' for cutting and removal of disease in advanced coconut palmsand to demonstrate integrated pest and disease management in  coconut. The Board also assists State Governments, State Agricultural/Horticultural Universities,  ICAR  Research  Institutesfor  taking  up  development  of  technologies  and demonstration  of  management  of  stem  bleeding  and  bud  rot  in  coconut  under  the scheme  'Technology  Mission  on  Coconut".  In  addition, information on  standard protocols  developed  by  various  Research  and  Development  Institutions  for  control  of stem bleeding and bud rot diseases are disseminated through various extension tools.

## *****************