Category: Agriculture & Foodgrain

Agrarian crisis – all man made

Every now and then, one hears talk of agrarian distress and farmers committing suicide. They are heavily indebted and are unable to earn enough to make both ends meet and repay the loan. The average monthly income of farmer is about Rs 5000 whereas for many, it is even below Rs 2000. It is also a fact that the government spends gargantuan amounts on subsidizing agricultural inputs viz., fertilizers, seeds, irrigation etc and makes huge quantum of credit available to them through public sector banks [PSBs] at subsidized rate of interest. Yet another truth is that barring present dispensation under Modi, government of the day had granted sumptuous increase in minimum support price [MSP] – a bare minimum price that...
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LOOKING AFRESH AT FARM SECTOR

The Modi Government has taken a slew of measures to double farmers’ income by 2022. However, for these efforts to succeed, State Governments must cooperate, as the real action can only take place at the ground level Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s objective to double farmers’ income by 2022 is being looked upon with scepticism. Critics argue that this will require an agricultural growth of more than 10 per cent per annum, at a time when growth in agriculture has collapsed to less than half a per cent per annum. Critics also argue that the minimum support price has risen only marginally (around four per cent) under the Modi dispensation. Both arguments are flawed. First, a number of States such as...
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Doubling farmers income – not a mere slogan

Prime Minister Modi’s promise to double farmers income by 2022 [the 75th anniversary of India’s independence] is being looked at with lot of scepticism in opposition quarters as also among some critics who look with a microscope every single opportunity to embarrassment him and his government. What is the basis for such scepticism? First, driven by a pre-meditated mindset, they are unable to see or not wanting to see any action happening on the ground. Second, they cite no increase in minimum support price [MSP] of food under Modi – dispensation to infer as to how then, farmers income could be doubled? Both points require careful scrutiny. To see what happens to MSP alone can be misleading. This is because...
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PM Fasal Bima Yojana – intent laudable, what about execution?

Modi – government has been under persistent attack for its obsession with promoting the manufacturing sector [under its flagship “Make in India”] but neglecting agriculture on which nearly 2/3rd of people depend for their livelihood. Critics have also lambasted it for alleged takeover of their land under the Land Acquisition [Amendment] Act 2015 to promote industrial development at their cost. However, to demonstrate that it cares for the farmers, the government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Phasal Bima Yojna [PMPBY] which it claims will bring about a drastic improvement in their economic conditions. Under PMPBY, the government’s intent is to compensate every farmer for the crop loss [due to a variety of factors such as natural calamities, hailstorms, unseasonal rains...
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Price control on Bt cotton – a retrograde move

In an unprecedented move, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh has passed orders to control the price of cotton seed sales all over the country during the ensuing Kharif season commencing April, 2016. Considering that genetically modified [GM] Bt cotton account for 98% of total cotton seeds used in India, the decision is directed primarily at this segment. The agriculture ministry feels that the price charged by seed companies is ‘exploitative’ besides varying from state to state; hence dire need to put a cap and make it ‘uniform’. It has also ordered a probe by the regulator Competition Commission of India [CCI] in to alleged ‘monopolistic’ practices by Mahyco Monsanto Biotech [India] Private Limited [MMBL] – a 50:50 joint venture between...
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Dismantle TPDS, give cash to poor

For all those couched in socialistic mindset and obstinate about keeping complete control on food supply and distribution in pursuit of food security – regardless of all the negatives that go with it – need to take a look at a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General [CAG] on “Procurement and milling of paddy for Central pool” tabled in the Parliament on December 8, 2015. But, first a word on the trigger for audit by CAG is in order. A whistle-blower in Odisha had alleged that close to Rs 10,000 crores of black money was being generated every day as millers were hiding or under-reporting earnings from sale of paddy by-products. Reportedly, the Prime Minister’s Office [PMO] had forwarded...
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Direct income support – half-a-dozen speed breakers ahead

In January 2013 the then UPA – government had announced a nation-wide roll-out of direct benefit transfer [DBT] – an acronym for transfer of subsidy amount in to the bank account of the beneficiary. But, the mission remained on paper as even in LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] where it was launched on a limited scale June, 2013, the plan was abandoned in January, 2014. Modi – government resurrected DBT for LPG in November, 2014 in select districts and by January, 2015 embraced all 676 districts in India. Emboldened by its success [leakages have been completely eliminated and this alone would result in saving of over Rs 10,000 crores annually] is now planning big to cover all other subsidies viz., kerosene,...
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Food subsidies still haunt India at WTO

But they needn’t, if India sticks to the view that the benchmark price for measuring extent of support is too low and outdated India is concerned over the delay in reaching a ‘permanent solution’ to the problem of dealing with food procurement subsidies. The WTO members are thrashing out a work programme for the 10th Ministerial to be held in Nairobi this December. Under Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), developing countries can give agricultural subsidies or aggregate measurement support (AMS) up to 10 per cent of the value of agricultural production. AMS has two components viz., (i) ‘product-specific’ or the excess of price paid to farmers over international price or ERP (external reference price) multiplied by quantum of produce; (ii) ‘non-product...
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‘Unshackle’ food sector before cash transfer

Emboldened by the success of DBT (direct benefit transfer) in LPG, the government is keen to launch this in food and fertilizers. To begin with, it will launch a pilot scheme in Puducherry where 330,000 ration card holders could receive Rs 300-400 a month each in their bank account in lieu of their monthly quota of rice after the lists are validated and their bank accounts are seeded with Aadhaar. Beneficiaries will be free to spend the money on any thing, not necessarily grain. If, the pilot in Puducherry is successful, it will be rolled out in other Union Territories (UTs) When juxtaposed with Modi – government’s tall claim about implementing DBT [a committee under Mr Shanta Kumar – a...
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India’s food reforms – trapped in ‘twilight’ zone

Pressure is mounting on the government even from within to fix a much higher minimum support price (MSP) for paddy during July – June 2015-16 agriculture crop season than the amount recommended by the Commission on Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP). The CACP had recommended a modest increase of 4% which translates to about Rs 50 per quintal over existing price of Rs 1360 per quintal for common variety of paddy. On the other hand, some sections within government are gunning for a hike of double this amount or Rs 100 per quintal. Meanwhile, farmers organizations e.g. Bharat Krishak Samaj (BKS) have resurrected demand for bonus over and above MSP that some states viz., Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh etc were giving...
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