Lok Sabha Question No. 1962 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-01
Subject: Committee for MSP Law
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Hanuman Beniwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1962

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 01 ST  AUGUST, 2023

## COMMITTEE FOR MSP LAW

1962. SHRI HANUMAN BENIWAL:

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

- (a) Whether  the  Government  has  constituted  any  committee  to  enact  a  law  regarding guarantee of procurement on Minimum Support Price (MSP);
- (b) If so, the details thereof along with the members of the said committee;
- (c) Whether any report has been submitted by the committee to the Government and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) The  details  of  intent  of  the  Government  to  enact  a  law  regarding  guarantee  of procurement on MSP at the earliest in the interest of the farmers?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान 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.

## 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

- (i).  Dr. C.S.C. Shekhar (Indian Institute of Economic Development)
- (ii). Dr. Sukhpal Singh (IIM, Ahmedabad)

## 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