(a) whether the Government proposes to increase Minimum Support Price (MSP) of
agricultural products at regular intervals;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the measures taken by the Government to promote the production of coarse foodgrains in
the country including Bundelkhand?
THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
???? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)
(a) & (b): Government fixes Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for 22 mandated agricultural crops, every year, on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), after considering the views of State Governments and Central Ministries/Departments concerned. In addition, MSP for toria and de-husked coconut are also fixed on the basis of MSPs of rapeseed & mustard and copra respectively.
The Government in its Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced the pre-determined principle to keep MSP at a levels of one and half times of the cost of production. Accordingly, Government has increased the MSPs for all mandated Kharif, Rabi and other commercial crops with a return of atleast 50 per cent over all India weighted average cost of production from the agricultural year 2018-19 onwards (Annex).
(c): Coarse Cereals are included as one of the components under National Food Security Mission (NFSM) programme from 2014-15 with the aim to boost the production through area expansion and productivity enhancement.
From 2018-19, NFSM Coarse Cereals has been divided into two parts, namely; NFSM-Coarse Cereals (Maize and Barley) and NFSM-Nutri-Cereals (Bajra, Jowar, Ragi and other Small Millets). NFSM-Coarse Cereals is being implemented in 269 districts of 26 States & 2 UTs, including Jalaun, Jhansi and Lalitpur which are part of Bundelkhand region and that of NFSM-Nutri-Cereals in 202 districts of 14 States.
Under NFSM, assistance is being provided to the farmers for organizing demonstrations on improved package of practices & intercropping and distribution of seeds of High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) & Hybrids, distribution of micronutrients & bio-fertilizers for integrated nutrient management, plant protection chemicals & bio-agents, weedicides for integrated pest management, manual sprayer, sprinkler, cropping system based trainings, formation of Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) in cluster area, distribution of seed mini kits (HYVs), publicity etc.