Lok Sabha Question No. 254 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-01
Subject: MSP for Paddy
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 254

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 1 ST  DECEMBER, 2015

## MSP FOR PADDY

## 254.   SHRI ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE:

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

- (a) whether it is a fact that the paddy farmers of various States of the country are not getting remunerative prices for their produce;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor; and

(c) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  proper  remunerative  prices  for  paddy farmers of the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्राऱय में राज्य मंत्री (SHRI  MOHANBHAI  KUNDARIA)

(a) & (b): Government  ensures  remunerative  price  to  the  growers  by  offering  to  procure their produce at Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed by the Government.  However, farmers are free to sell it to Government agencies or in the open market as is advantageous to them.

The procurement of paddy in terms of rice at MSP by the Government agencies since 2012-13  to  2014-15  and  2015-16  is  at Annexure .    In  addition,  State  Governments  and  the procurement agencies are alerted from time to time to ensure MSP to farmers.

(c): Apart from procurement at MSP being undertaken by the Government, to ensure that farmers  get  adequate  price  for  their  produce,  States/UTs  have  been  advised  to  amend  their respective State APMC Acts on the lines of Model Act, 2003.  The Model Act provides for direct marketing,  contract  farming,  farmers/consumer  markets,  setting  up  of  markets  in  private  and cooperative  sectors,  e-trading  etc.    Further,  in  order  to  encourage  investment  in  marketing infrastructure development, Government is, interalia, implementing capital investment subsidy schemes such as development/strengthening Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure, Grading and Standardisation  (AMIGS) and Gramin Bhandaran Yojana (GBY).  In addition, Government is also implementing Marketing Research and Information Network (MRIN) with the objective to collect and disseminate prices and arrival data for the benefit of farmers and other stakeholders to  facilitate  the  farmers  in  taking  better  production  and  marketing  decisions  to  get  more remunerative prices for their produce.

In addition, the Government has approved the Central Sector Scheme for promotion of National  Agriculture  Market  through  Agri-Tech  Infrastructure  Fund  (A-ITF).    The  Scheme provides  for  a  pan-India  electronic  training  portal  which  seeks  to  network  the  existing Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) and other market yards to creat a unified national market for agricultural commodities.

## ANNEXURE

## PROCUREMENT OF RICE

(Million tonnes)

| States/UTs      | 2012-13   |   2013-14 |   2014-15 |   2015-16* |
|-----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|------------|
| Andhra Pradesh  | 6.47      |      3.74 |      3.59 |       0.09 |
| Assam           | 0.02      |      0    |      0.02 |       0    |
| Bihar           | 1.30      |      0.94 |      1.62 |       0    |
| Chandigarh      | 0.01      |      0.01 |      0.01 |       0.02 |
| Chhattisgarh    | 4.80      |      4.29 |      3.42 |       0.14 |
| Haryana         | 2.61      |      2.41 |      2.01 |       2.85 |
| Jharkhand       | 0.22      |      0    |      0    |       0    |
| Karnataka       | 0.06      |      0    |      0.09 |       0    |
| Kerala          | 0.24      |      0.36 |      0.37 |       0.09 |
| Madhya Pradesh· | 0.90      |      1.04 |      0.81 |       0.01 |
| Maharashtra     | 0.19      |      0.16 |      0.2  |       0    |
| Odisha          | 3.61      |      2.82 |      3.49 |       0    |
| Punjab          | 8.56      |      8.11 |      7.79 |       9.22 |
| Tamil Nadu      | 0.48      |      0.68 |      1.05 |       0.04 |
| Telengana       | -         |      4.35 |      3.5  |       0.39 |
| Uttarakhand     | 0.50      |      0.46 |      0.46 |       0.04 |
| Uttar Pradesh   | 2.29      |      1.13 |      1.7  |       0.32 |
| West Bengal     | 1.77      |      1.36 |      2.03 |       0    |
| Total           | 34.03     |     31.86 |     32.16 |      13.21 |

Source: Department of Food & Public Distribution. * As on 24.11.2015

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