(a) the details of the agricultural products imported into the country during the last three years and the current year;
(b) whether the Government has conducted any survey to assess the adverse impact of such imports on the domestic growers/producers;
(c) if so, the details and the outcome thereof;
(d) whether these imports are driving farmers to commit suicide; and
(e) if so, the steps taken by the Government to protect Indian farmers?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
(SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN)
(a) The values of India’s imports of agricultural products during the last three years and the current year are as follows:
(in US$ Billions)
Years Import value of Agricultural Products including plantation
2013-14 17.0
2014-15 20.0
2015-16 21.6
2016-17 (Apr-Oct)* 12.7
Source: Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (* Provisional)
The details of the agricultural products imported into the country are enclosed at Annexure-I.
(b) to (e) The Government has not conducted any survey to assess the impact of imports of agricultural products on the domestic growers/producers in the country. As per the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, ‘indebtedness’ and ‘family problems’ are the major causes of suicides, accounting for 20.6% and 20.1% respectively of total farmers’ suicides during 2014. The other causes of farmers’ suicides were ‘failure of crop’ (16.8%), illness’ (13.2%) and ‘drug abuse/alcoholic addiction’ (4.9%).
***
Annexure-I
Statement referred to in reply of part (a) of Lok Sabha unstarred question no. 3155 for answer on 5th December 2016.
(In US$ Millions)
Category UNIT 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
(Apr-Oct)
Plantation QTY VAL QTY VAL QTY VAL QTY VAL
Tea KGS 22739911 48.54 28390469 63.57 23722240 58.04 14356655 30.79
Coffee KGS 59940860 120.19 74884576 152.20 65612802 122.59 43899320 73.28
Natural rubber TON 360266 906.43 442129 818.29 458382 715.12 287886 420.02
Plantation total 1075.15 1034.06 895.75 524.10
Agri. & allied products
Rice(other than basmoti) TON 1439 1.37 1958 1.77 1021 0.91 639 0.58
Wheat TON 11272 4.42 29493 9.95 517667 135.45 773867 170.07
Other cereals TON 22321 16.08 23397 10.03 206144 51.84 122462 29.87
Pulses TON 3643713 2119.32 4584852 2786.11 5797706 3902.22 2748424 1906.55
Tobacco unmanufactured KGS 1549350 13.09 1930418 15.90 2883247 20.54 146776 0.95
Tobacco manufactured* 27.85 32.76 29.74 19.82
Spices KGS 155577426 571.39 163094896 717.78 193437497 823.79 155259072 474.75
Cashew TON 776334 773.81 933190 1087.16 961665 1339.34 569125 920.75
Cashew nut shell liquid KGS 379070 0.34 1720396 1.63 1858346 0.87 1523766 0.50
Sesame seeds KGS 72928096 134.48 34767785 62.67 23597101 27.59 24640014 24.83
Niger seeds KGS 0 0.00 703000 0.60 5780000 6.76 6970000 8.56
Groundnut TON 114 0.06 127 0.08 107 0.05 103 0.04
Other oil seeds TON 54703 27.50 51561 26.59 62505 32.99 54730 28.47
Vegetable oils TON 10467303 9389.74 12731595 10621.48 15643735 10492.08 8226662 6212.09
Oil meals TON 126936 33.33 165102 44.71 255014 65.26 342153 92.97
Guergam meal TON 375 3.66 128 0.95 633 2.07 155 0.18
Castor oil KGS 68946 0.34 52363 0.30 31759 0.17 73546 0.15
Shellac KGS 680722 8.01 1770836 9.75 705387 2.99 204721 0.81
Sugar TON 880956 392.19 1538635 601.17 1943125 612.24 1104847 504.18
Mollases TON 15065 1.47 60281 4.93 17267 1.16 6689 0.61
Fruits / vegetable seeds KGS 8294147 74.36 14012277 100.48 14328066 107.57 12854403 66.90
Fresh fruits TON 769204 1273.46 900984 1565.20 839543 1694.84 544721 921.04
Fresh vegetables TON 25981 6.66 8244 1.82 140728 59.78 5911 1.03
Processed vegetables KGS 20289086 28.80 10960189 17.07 15379021 18.40 7461892 9.87
Processed fruits and juices KGS 31973057 68.28 33552677 81.58 38962498 80.31 24658654 46.32
Cereal preparations TON 53472 69.15 72717 95.44 61487 87.81 38886 50.56
Cocoa products KGS 51627345 176.90 65387025 253.58 56424691 212.96 33853408 127.68
Milled products KGS 3977441 3.64 3465371 2.90 4393656 3.26 2095558 1.47
Misc processed items* 244.48 292.05 277.20 178.36
Animal casings KGS 220 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
Sheep/goat meat TON 60 0.86 87 1.43 53 0.73 69 0.63
Other meat TON 361 2.61 469 3.19 498 2.64 317 1.48
Processed meat TON 388 1.27 165 0.85 71 0.42 81 0.43
Dairy products KGS 10487312 38.47 43837626 61.49 18233480 56.64 10451278 25.59
Poultry products* 3.89 6.18 4.04 3.26
Floricltr products KGS 4308801 18.45 4820190 18.52 4768809 17.43 3184816 12.34
Alcoholic beverages LTR 114452982 341.27 177683002 408.46 303459276 447.38 265260805 313.74
Ayush and herbal products KGS 10855329 52.46 23482092 57.58 11668422 54.13 7134563 31.12
Agri. & allied products total 15923.43 19004.14 20673.58 12188.54
Total 16998.61 20038.20 21569.33 12712.64
Source: Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS)
Note: Figures for 2016-17 (Apr to Oct) is provisional.
*Quantity Figures are not given as units are not additive.