In the backdrop of increase in international price of wheat (courtesy, Ukraine crisis) early this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had exhorted that India can help meet the global requirements of food deficit countries, provided the World Trade Organisation (WTO) allows it. He also exuded confidence that this had created an opportunity for Indian farmers to increase their income. Even as stakeholders were gearing to undertake export with several of them having signed contracts, on May 13, 2022, the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) put a ban on wheat export with ‘immediate’ effect. The exports under government-to-government arrangements and contracts signed prior to May 13, 2022 are exempt. The government has sought to explain the ban in terms of...
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Category: Production of foodgrain
Serve up a fresh NFSA
The 80 crore people the Govt currently targets for giving subsidised foodgrain under the Food Security Act includes millions of higher-income beneficiaries who don’t deserve it The Finance Minister, Ms Nirmala Sitharaman, announced a Rs 1,70,000 crore package under the PM-Gareeb Kalyan Scheme (PMGKS) to address the plight of tens of millions of workers in the “informal” sector affected by CoviD-19, on March 26. The most crucial component of this package was giving five kg of rice/wheat per person per month for “free” to around 80 crore people through the public distribution system (PDS), plus one kg of preferred and region-specific choice of pulse per household for three months. To understand the full implications of the relief — estimated to cost...
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Food subsidy – who are the beneficiaries
The Government is considering downward revision of ‘reserve price’ of rice from Rs 2,785 per quintal to Rs 2,250 per quintal for selling food under the Open Market Sale Scheme [OMSS] during the current financial year [FY] 2019-20. However, there is no plan for any revision in reserve price of wheat, and the current reserve price of wheat Rs 2,080 per quintal will continue to prevail throughout the remaining period of 2019-20. The scheme is run by the ministry of food civil supplies and consumer affairs to dispose off wheat and rice stored in buffer stock [also known as the ‘central pool’] kept by the Food Corporation of India [FCI] – the agency which is 100% owned by the Government...
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How sugar turns bitter for the consumer…
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a proposal of the food ministry for creation of four million tons of sugar buffer stock between August 1, 2019 and July 31, 2020. The government will spend Rs 1,674 crore towards the cost of carrying the stock. The amount will be directly credited into farmers’ accounts on behalf of sugar mills against their cane price dues. It has also decided to keep the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane unchanged at Rs 275 per quintal. FRP is the minimum price which mills have to pay farmers to buy sugarcane – the raw material for making sugar. The price is applicable to sugarcane purchases made during the sugar marketing year...
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Union’s fiscal budget held hostage by NFSA
Recently, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan informed that the Government will not affect any increase in issue prices for food-grains under the National Food Security Act [NFSA] till June, 2018. Under the Act, 5 kg of cereals per person per month is made available at heavily subsidized price of Rs 3 per kg rice, Rs 2 per kg wheat & Rs 1 per kg coarse cereals to 67% of India’s population [75% rural & 50% urban] or over 800 million persons. These prices shall be valid for a period of 3 years from the date of commencement of the Act and, thereafter, may be revised by the Central Government. The NFSA came into...
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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 need empowerment, not write-offs
When, prime minister, Modi during his high octane campaign in the run up to assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh [UP] promised loan waiver for farmers [albeit small and marginal/poor] in the state, he might not even have contemplated that state-after-states would be confronted with similar demands. In retrospect, this is precisely what has dawned on the political establishments particularly in states ruled by BJP viz. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana etc. The irony is that whereas, BJP had voluntarily made a commitment in a poll bound state, the demand for loan waiver has surged even in states where it was not a poll promise. Those states have been coerced in to granting waivers using the modus operandi of protests and demonstrations....
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INDIA’S PULSE DILEMMA
While the Government has done its bit to boost the output of pulses, it has done little to check the nexus between politicians and grain traders For several decades, production of pulses in India has fallen substantially short in terms of consumption. This persistent deficit has led to intermittent bouts of spike in prices as imports (needed to plug it) have often come after lag and have failed to reach consumption points in time — courtesy: Handling, storage and transportation bottlenecks. Pulses are an important source of nutrition, especially for vegetarians. It is also a critical component for the diet of the poor. This nutrition-poor link, which is juxtaposed with hike in price, has also been exploited by opposition parties...
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Unholy politician-trader nexus – behind farmers plight
For several decades, production of pulses in India has fallen substantially short of consumption. The persistent deficit has led to intermittent bouts of spike in their prices as imports [needed to plug it] have often come after lag and failed to reach consumption points in time – courtesy, handling, storage and transportation bottlenecks. The import of pulses in large quantity also resulted in huge outgo of foreign exchange exacerbating balance of payment problems especially during times when the macro-economic fundamentals were weak [for instance, during early 90s and 2012-13/2013-14]. This also affected the ability of the government to remain glued to the path of fiscal consolidation. Pulses are an important source of nutrition especially for vegetarians and a critical component...
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Yogi – Modi onslaught on poverty
The just concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh [UP] were fought in the backdrop of deteriorating law and order situation, hostile environment for investment, crumbling infrastructure [sans a few pockets in urban areas], widespread farmers distress, their high level of indebtedness and acute shortage of bare necessities viz. home, food, education, health, water and electricity. The poor investment climate and pathetic law and order discouraged industrialists and businessmen from setting up factories/shops even as existing establishments were facing closure. Together with farming being un-remunerative/losing proposition, this made a deadly cocktail leading to large-scale loss of jobs and in turn, migration of youth en mass to other states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat. Promises galore BJP led by Modi promised liberation...
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