Lok Sabha Question No. 1298 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-30
Subject: Demands of Agricultural Unions
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Kalyan Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1298

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 30 TH  JULY, 2024

## DEMANDS OF AGRICULTURAL UNIONS

## 1298.   SHRI KALYAN BANERJEE:

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

- (a)  the details of demands made by the Agricultural Unions during farmers protests in Delhi  against  three  farm  acts  which  were  passed  in  the  Parliament  in  September 2022;
- (b) whether all those demands have been fulfilled by the Government;
- (c) if so, the details of demands which have been accepted and rejected; and
- (d) the reasons behind not to accept the demands of the farmers put during 2022-24 therein?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी

(SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) to (d): Based on the demands of some of farmers unions, the Farm Laws, namely the Farmers  (Empowerment  and  Protection)  Agreement  on  Price  Assurance  and  Farm Services  Act,  2020;  (ii)  the  Farmers'  Produce  Trade  and  Commerce  (Promotion  and Facilitation) Act,  2020;  and (iii) the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 were repealed vide the Farm Laws Repeal Act, 2021 (No. 40 of 2021) vide notification dated 30th November, 2021.

Moreover, the Government has constituted a committee vide notification dated 1207-2022 (copy enclosed - Annexure-I), consisting of representatives of farmers, eminent agricultural  economists  and  scientists,  and  senior  officers  of  Central  Government.  The Committee is to make suggestions so as to make MSP more effective and transparent; to promote natural farming; and to change crop pattern keeping in mind the changing needs of the country. The meetings of the Committee are being held on regular basis actively to deliberate on the subject matters assigned to it.

## MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## (Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare) NOTIFICATION

New Delhi, 12 th  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 Sing (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
10. (i) Shri Dilip Sanghani, Chairman, IFFCO
11. (ii) Shri Binod Anand, 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
- (1) 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
15. (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