Ministry of Agriculture sets up Committee to look at agri-prices for farmers

PRESS RELEASEMinistry of Agriculture sets up Committee to look at agri-prices for farmers

New Delhi, April 21st 2013: The Indian Coordination Committee for Farmers' Movements (ICCFM) welcomed the setting up of a Committee by the Ministry of Agriculture, Govt of India, as announced after a meeting with the ICCFM delegation on March 20th 2013. Readers would recall that the government was forced to respond to a Kisan Khet Mazdoor Maha Panchayat of thousands of farmers who sat on an indefinite dharna on Parliament Street in New Delhi, from May 18th onwards.
One of the issues that the farmers were agitating about was markets that were unfair and unremunerative to farmers, making agriculture a losing proposition. Farmers had demanded that the government make farming remunerative and viable so that dignity in this profession can be restored. Further, they pointed out that other sectors have no solutions even as lakhs are getting displaced from agriculture given that the government's own data indicates declining employment opportunities in these sectors.
The Committee to examine methodological issues in fixing minimum support prices, set up on 1st April 2013 has 16 members, including 5 representatives of ICCFM. While the Director of NCAP (National Centre for Agricultural Economics & Policy Research) would chair the Committee, the Adviser (Cost) of CACP has been made the Member Secretary.
The Terms of Reference laid down for this Committee include examining the existing mandate of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and suggest whether there is a need to reposition the Commission in terms of its mandate and remit. Further, the Committee would examine the existing cost concepts for the purpose of fixing Minimum Support Prices (MSPs). The Committee would also examine existing structure of tariff, taxes, credit, markets etc., to suggest various measures to make it most competitive and remunerative to farmers in the wake of trade liberalisation and globalisation and also to encourage diversified agricultural growth.
Meanwhile, constitution of two more Committees are awaited, related to (1) Free Trade Agreeements and Agriculture and (2) FDI in Retail and Farm Livelihoods.

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Ministry of Agriculture21-March, 2013 15:12 IST

Committees with Farmer Representatives to be Formed to Discuss Major Issues Concerning Farmers

Representatives of Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers’ Movements held extensive discussions with Shri Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of Agriculture; Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Rural Development; Prof K.V. Thomas, MOS, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution; Smt. D. Purandeswari, MOS, Commerce and Industry; Dr. S.K. Jena, MOS, Fertilizers and Shri N.N. Meena, MOS, Finance on 20th March, 2013 to discuss the demands of farmers who had been camping since 18th March, 2013 at Jantar Mantar. After detailed discussions lasting for nearly three hours it was decided to constitute committees to address three crucial issues that were exercising the farmers, namely, to examine the methodology of assessing cost of cultivation and determining the Minimum Support Prices of various agricultural commodities; to address apprehensions in regard to dumping of agricultural produce in the country under liberal Free Trade Agreements; and to suggest appropriate safeguards to protect farmers in the wake of introduction of Foreign Direct Investment in Multi Brand Retail. It was decided that the representatives of the farmers would be enlisted in each of the above committees which would make appropriate recommendations and suggestions to the Government for protection of farmers’ interests. MP:SS:CP: committee (21.3.2013) (Release ID :94119)

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