Question : FARMERS IN DISTRESS



(a) whether farmers are undergoing distress despite harvesting bountiful crops;

(b) if so, whether the Government have drawn up a long term strategy to pre-empt such situation; and

(c) if so, the details thereof?

Answer given by the minister

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (SHRI HUKUMDEO NARAYAN YADAV)

(a): The Wholesale Prices of certain agricultural commodities are ruling below the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) at some selected centers in the country.

(b) to (c): The prices of agricultural commodities are constantly reviewed and necessary corrective steps are taken whenever required. The various steps taken by the Government to mitigate the hardships faced by the farmers on this account include fixation of MSPs of major agricultural commodities and procurement thereof through public and cooperative agencies implementation of Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) covering horticulture and minor items of produce at the request of the state Governments and using instruments of trade to discourage imports and encourage exports.