(a) whether the Government has launched any scheme to prevent loss of crops in the event of bumper production of crops;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the details of the other steps taken by the Government for the conservation of rabi produce keeping in view the possibility of good rabi crop in the wake of good monsoon during the current year?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF
CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (PROF. K.V. THOMAS)
(a) to (c): Possible losses of crop production could be on account of abiotic, biotic stresses,
post harvest handling and lack of marketing support. Pulses crops in particular are most vulnerable
for such incidences. In order to prevent crop loses several steps have been taken by Government
through targeted interventions under several Crop Development Schemes, marketing arrangements
through procurement of minimum support price by nominated central agencies.
Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture has been implementing
various crop development schemes and programmes like National Food Security Mission (NFSM),
Integrated schemes of Oilseeds, Pulses, Maize and Oilpalm (ISOPOM), Integrated Cereal Development
Programme for Rice/Wheat/Coarse Cereals (ICDP) under Micromanagement of Agriculture (MMA) and
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) through State Governments.
In 2010-11, in addition to the above mentioned schemes two new programmes relating to
bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India and Integrated Development of 60,000 Pulses and
Oilseeds villages in rainfed areas have been initiated under RKVY for enhancing the
agriculture production. Under NFSM, a new programme of Accelerated Pulses Production
Programme (A3P) in the form of block demonstration has been launched to cover 1000 unit
of 1000 hectare each of five Pulses crops in 16 pulses growing States of the country. Pest
surveillance through NCIPM in Accelerated Pulses Production unit areas has also been taken
from the current year under A3P programme of NFSM to prevent production loss of pulses.
Food Corporation of India procures and stores the foodgrains in their owned godowns;
hired storage spaces from Central Warehousing Corporation /State Warehousing Corporation and
private parties for safe keeping the procured grains. Stocks of wheat, paddy area stored
scientifically in the open through a mechanism of CAP (Covered and Plinths).
For pulses, in addition to NAFED, NCCE and CWC have also been nominated as central
procurement agencies.
National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is assisting all types of Cooperative
Societies including primaries for creation of scientific storage capacity in rural areas i.e. for
construction of godowns and repair/renovation of existing rural godowns under the schemes of
Restructured Central Sector Scheme, Corporation Sponsored Scheme and Gramin Bhandaran Yojana.