Question : MSP for Agricultural Produce

(a) whether the farmers have received remunerative price of their produce under the agricultural price policy keeping in view the high inflation during each of the last three years and the current year, if so, the details thereof, State-wise including Odisha and if not, the reasons therefor;

(b) whether the Price Support Scheme (PSS) for procurement of oilseeds, pulses and cotton has been implemented across the country, if so, the details of procurement of farmers produce under the said scheme when the prices of the produce fell below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) during the said period; and

(c) the other corrective steps taken by the Government to provide adequate price to farmers for their produce?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

‡ãðŠãäÓã ½ãâ¨ããÊã¾ã ½ãñâ À㕾㠽ãâ¨ããè ( SHRI MOHANBHAI KUNDARIA )

(a) & (b): Government ensures remunerative price to the growers by offering to procure their produce at Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed by the Government. However, farmers are free to sell it to Government agencies or in the open market as is advantageous to them.

Procurement undertaken by the Government agencies for the major agricultural crops namely paddy from 2012-13 to 2014-15 kharif marketing season and of wheat from 2013-14 to 2015-16 rabi marketing season is at Annexure – I.

Price Support Scheme is applicable across the country. Procurement of pulses, oilseeds and cotton from 2012-13 to 2014-15 is at Annexure –II.

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(c): To ensure that farmers get adequate price for their produce, States/UTs have been advised to amend their respective State APMC Acts on the lines of Model Act, 2003. The Model Act provides for direct marketing, contract farming, farmers/consumer markets, setting up of markets in private and cooperative sectors, e-trading etc. Further, in order to encourage investment in marketing infrastructure development, Government is, interalia, implementing capital investment subsidy schemes such as development/strengthening Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure, Grading and Standardization (AMIGS) and Gramin Bhandaran Yojana (GBY). In addition, Government is also implementing Marketing Research and Information Network (MRIN) with the objective to collect and disseminate prices and arrival data for the benefit of farmers and other stakeholders to facilitate the farmers in taking better production and marketing decisions to get more remunerative prices for their produce.

In addition, the Government has approved the Central Sector Scheme for promotion of National Agriculture market through Agri-Tech Infrastructure fund (A-ITF). The Scheme provides for a pan-India electronic training portal which seeks to network the existing Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) and other market yards to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.

Food Corporation of India (FCI) has also been included as an additional agency for procurement of pulses and oilseeds.