Question : Minimum Remunerative Prices for Potato

(a) whether it is a fact that the economic condition of the potato growers in various States of the country is not improving due to non-payment of fair price for their produces apart from lack of rain and good quality seeds etc., if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether it is a fact that the farmers are dumping potatoes on roads as they could not get even the cost price of their potato crops, if so, the details thereof ;

(c) whether owing to this the sowing of potatoes during the current season has been quite less;

(d) if so, the steps taken by the Government to check exploitation of farmers by the traders and provide them remunerative price for their produce; and

(e) whether the Government proposes to procure potatoes directly from the farmers at higher MSP rate threof, if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

???? ??? ????? ?????? ???????? ??? ????? ?????? (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a): No, Madam.
(b): No such report from States except Punjab.
(c): No, Madam. Area under potato during 2016-17 was 2179 thousand ha. As per first advance estimate of 2017-18, area under potato is expected to be 2176 thousand ha. Therefore, there is no decline in area.

(d): Several initiatives taken by Central and State Govt. to check the exploitation by traders. These measures are:

• To enable the farmers to get better remunerative prices, AGMARKNET portal is providing information to farmers on prices and arrivals of agricultural commodities in regulated markets.
Contd…2/-

-2-


• Circulation of the daily alerts on prevailing mandi prices which are 25% above the weighted average price and 25% below weighted average price of last one year to sensitize various Departments and State Governments for favour of information.

• Government of Gujarat has announced assistance programme for the farmers as below :
i) Rs.750 per MT for road transportation, Rs. 1150 per MT for Rail transportation and Rs.10 lakh for export to other country for transportation.

ii) Assistance to provide Rs.1000/MT for the storage of potato and Rs.1000/MT for transportation of storage potato.

(e): No MSP is fix on Potato. However, Central Govt. is implementing Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for procurement of agricultural and horticultural commodities, which are generally perishable in nature. The basic objective of MIS is to protect the growers of these commodities from making distress sale in the event of a bumper crop during the peak arrival period when the prices tend to fall below economic levels and cost of production. The MIS is implemented on the specific request of the State Government/UTs Government willing to share losses with the Central and State Government on 50:50 basis (75:25 in case of North-Eastern States) restricted to 25 percent of the total procurement value which includes cost of the commodity procured plus permitted overhead expenses.

Under MIS, sanction has been accorded for procurement of potato in Uttar Pradesh (1 lakh MT) and Nagaland (6 Thousand MT) during 2017-18.


********