Question : Burden on Farmers due to Increasing Price of Diesel

(a) whether the Government has conducted any assessment to find out the extent of increasing financial burden on the farmers in irrigating their crops due to daily increase in the prices of diesel;

(b) if so, whether the Government is considering any alternative to diesel to save the farmers from the burden of rising prices of diesel;

(c) whether the Government proposes to consider incorporating the additional cost of diesel while fixing Minimum Support Price in view of continuous increase in diesel prices; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
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(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.



STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 217 DUE FOR REPLY ON 9TH MARCH, 2021.

(a) & (b): The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is implementing Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan (PM-KUSUM Scheme), which, inter alia, provides for installation of 20 lakh standalone solar water pumps for replacement of existing diesel Agriculture pumps / irrigation systems in off-grid areas, where grid supply is not available. MNRE is also implementing a Central Sector Scheme, the New National Biogas and Organic Manure Programme (NNBOMP) for setting up small biogas plants, based on cattle dung and other mixed wastes for water pumping and meeting small farm power needs. In both the Schemes, central financial assistance is provided, as per the Scheme guidelines.

(c) & (d): Cost of diesel incurred in producing a crop is already included while estimating cost of cultivation/production and hence, is included in fixing Minimum Support Prices (MSPs). The estimates of cost of cultivation, which is an important input for forming the recommendation of MSP, are made available to the Commission through the ‘Comprehensive Scheme for Studying the Cost of Cultivation of Principal Crops in India’, operated by Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. These estimates take into account real factors of production and include all actual expenses in cash and kind incurred in production of a crop by the farmer.
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