The Government’s commitment to ensure a MSP for crops that is equal to 1.5 times the cost of production is much ado about nothing. Interests of farmers are well protected under the existing mechanism of fixing MSP. The need is to focus on ensuring that they get it on ground zero In its 2014 poll manifesto, the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised to guarantee farmers a price equal to 1.5 times the cost of production. However, the promise came too late, when Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely made the announcement in the Budget speech for 2018-19. Later, replying to a debate in Parliament, Jaitely clarified that the production cost would be taken as actual paid out cost plus imputed value of family...
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Category: Agriculture & Foodgrain
Guaranteeing 50% profit to farmers – much ado about nothing
In its 2014 poll manifesto, BJP had promised to guarantee farmers a price equal to 1.5 times the cost of production. However, finance minister, Arun Jaitely made the announcement in the budget speech for 2018-19. The minimum support prices [MSPs] determined on the basis of this formula will be applicable to crop production starting ensuing kharif season [April-September, 2018]. Later, replying to the debate in the parliament, Jaitely clarified that the production cost would be taken as ‘A2+FL’. A2 costs basically cover all paid-out expenses, both in cash and in kind, incurred by farmers on seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, hired labor, fuel, irrigation etc whereas FL is the imputed value of unpaid family labor. Under the extant dispensation, the Commission for...
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Are credit institutions helping poor farmers?
Even as elections in India have turned into a day-in-day-out affair, two issues that political parties invariably focus on are (i) alleviating farmers distress and (ii) promoting inclusive development taking all sections of farming community on board. Yet, what is happening on the ground is the reverse of what is proclaimed. The more parties promise addressing farmers’ plight, the more the latter end up getting further impoverished. The more they harp on ameliorating the conditions of farmers from backward classes, the more they get entrenched in backwardness. A vivid manifestation of this dichotomy between what is preached and what is in practice is available from a research paper by Chirala Shankar Rao [an assistant professor at the Council for Social...
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Food – why consumers pay more but farmers get less?
In the just concluded Gujarat assembly elections, BJP got yet another chance to form the government for the sixth time in a row. But, unlike in the past, when it won by a comfortable margin, this time it barely scraped through getting 99 seats in the house strength of 182. A major reason was its dismal performance in rural areas. In particular, the farmers voted against the party expressing resentment over anti-farmer policies followed by the state government resulting in meager income even leading to suicide in some cases. A vivid manifestation of this is available from the Saurashtra-Kutch region where BJP got only 23 out of a total of 54 seats. The farmers suffered due to increase in cost...
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Reining in bogus claims
Unshackle farmers from subsidy and control raj
Dr Ramesh Chand, Member [Agriculture], NITI [National Institute for Transforming India] Aayog – the new incarnation of erstwhile Planning Commission – has reiterated that prime minister’s commitment to double farmers’ income by 2022 is doable. The average income of a farmers’ family in India is about Rs 6400 per month, but the variations across states are huge. For instance, in Punjab the average income is a high of Rs 18,000 per month, in Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, it is less than Rs 5000 per month. This may point towards the possibility of increasing farmers’ income manifold [even more than 100%]. If, farmers of Punjab can do it, there is no reason why those in other states cannot come up. But,...
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Food subsidy – reining in bogus claims alone is not reform
According to the medium-term expenditure framework [MTEF] statement recently released by the finance ministry, the food subsidy bill of the union government is projected to increase from Rs 145,000 crore during the current year to Rs 175,000 crores during 2018-19 and further to Rs 200,000 crores during 2019-20. This comes as a big disappointment to all those who have been anxiously looking forward to Modi – government deliver on its reforms agenda especially in regard to food subsidy which is a big resource guzzler – next only to interest payments and pension. Considering that such an assessment [steep increase] is being made less than two years before its term comes to an end implies that no reform is in the...
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Contract farming – enabling environment needed
In his budget speech [2017-18], finance minister, Arun Jaitley had announced union government’s decision to bring a model contract farming Act with the intent to protect farmers from price volatility by ensuring guaranteed price for their produce. As a follow up, a draft legislation has now been released for comments from stakeholders including farmers. The latter have been given 30 days to give their suggestions. Thereafter, a final`model’ contract farming Act is expected to be released in November after incorporating the suggestions. This will serve as a guide for states to bring required legislation. Because of the heavy dependence on rainfall [70% of the cultivated area is rain-fed and even for balance 30% under irrigation, rainfall is a crucial factor...
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Farmers not yet out of middleman’s clutch
The Indian agriculture scenario is known for continued impoverishment of the farmers arising due to vagaries of nature on the one hand and poor realization from selling their produce on the other. Ironically, low price paid to the farmers does not translate in to low price for consumers either; instead, the latter pay high price. If, both farmers and consumers are losing then, without doubt, it is the middleman who is making gain. The middleman/trader exploits every conceivable situation, be it surplus production or shortage to his advantage. Recent developments in Madhya Pradesh [MP] in regard to supply and prices of onion and tomato bear ample testimony to this harsh reality. Early this year [January-February], farmers in the state were...
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PMFBY – no panacea for farmers’ woes
Farmers in India are constantly under the threat of drought and other natural calamities such as floods, hailstorms, pest attacks etc leading to unprecedented loss of crop output. Unable to pay back loans [taken for growing crop and personal consumption needs], tens of thousands of them commit suicide every year. During a recent hearing, the Supreme Court [SC] reprimanded the union government for its slow and inadequate action in dealing with the problem. But, the latter put up a strong defense citing launch of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna [PMFBY] though Attorney General, KK Venugopal [who argued on its behalf] opined it will take time for the impact to be felt on ground. Under PMFBY, a farmer is compensated for the crop...
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