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- Farmers will get fair price in every situation: Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh expressed commitment in Lok Sabha
Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated in the Lok Sabha today that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Central Government is committed to ensuring that farmers receive a fair price for their produce in every situation, and no effort will be spared at any level to rescue the ‘annadatta’ (food providers) from crisis. He said that the NDA government has provided a strong security shield to farmers’ income through record purchases at Minimum Support Price (MSP), PM-AASHA, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, price difference payment, and Market Intervention Scheme, and farmers’ incomes have doubled.
While answering various questions raised by MPs in the Lok Sabha, Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that to increase farmers’ incomes and protect their interests, the Central Government led by Shri Narendra Modi has taken several historic steps in the past years. He informed that agricultural production has increased by nearly 44 per cent, and a comprehensive campaign has been launched to simultaneously enhance farmers’ productivity and income. Shri Chouhan said that in the previous governments’ time, excuses were made in the name of implementing the Swaminathan Commission recommendations, even going to the extent of saying that giving MSP more than 50 per cent of the cost would distort the market. In contrast, the NDA government led by Shri Narendra Modi decided to determine the Minimum Support Price by taking into account 50 per cent profit on production cost and continuously implemented it, enabling farmers to get better returns for their hard work.
Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh stated that merely announcing MSP is not enough; actually procuring at that price is more important, and in this direction, the government has provided direct benefits to farmers through record purchases at MSP not only for wheat, paddy, pulses, and oilseeds but also for various other crops. He said that this government has not remained limited to grains only but is also actively intervening for pulses, oilseeds, fruits, and vegetables so that farmers do not suffer losses if prices of any crop fall.
Shri Chouhan informed that Pradhan Mantri Annadatta Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan – PM-AASHA scheme, a significant initiative launched during Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s tenure, provides security to those crops whose prices often fall below MSP. He said that under PM-AASHA, three types of arrangements have been made – direct purchase of pulses and oilseeds through Price Support Scheme, bridging the gap between MSP and market price through price difference payment mechanism, and providing protection to farmers through other means if needed.
On a question regarding Maharashtra, Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed that during the recent natural calamities, the state government made full use of the Centre’s policy-supported digital system and transferred ₹14,000 crore directly to farmers’ accounts within just five days through Farmer ID, providing swift relief.
He said that on one hand, state governments compensate for crop losses through arrangements like SDRF, while on the other hand, the Central Government is leaving no stone unturned in providing insurance coverage and compensation to farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
While mentioning crops like soybean including pulses and oilseeds, Shri Chouhan said that in the event of price fall, the government does not rely only on purchase but also adopts the option of depositing the entire amount between MSP and market price directly into the farmer’s account through price difference mechanism. Citing the example of Madhya Pradesh, he said that there, through the price difference payment scheme, farmers’ income was protected without making them stand in queues, without additional logistics costs, and this model is inspirational for other states as well.
Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh said that through the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), a model rate has been set for perishable fruits and vegetables as well, either by arranging direct purchase or by depositing the difference between model rate and market price into the farmer’s account. In the context of products like grapes, chilli, potato, onion, tomato, he clarified that if prices are very low in farmers’ areas and farmers want to take their produce to mandis in big cities, then in such cases, the Central Government is even bearing the transportation cost, so that farmers can get better prices in distant mandis.
While replying in the Lok Sabha, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan reiterated that to ensure proper purchase of the entire produce of the farmer, FCI, NAFED, state government agencies, and other institutions are working in a coordinated manner, and purchase centers are being opened wherever and as many as required.
Emphasising the transparency and accuracy in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Shri Shivraj Singh informed that crop-cutting experiments are conducted at every panchayat level, and four such experiments are mandatorily carried out in each cluster/panchayat so that there is no doubt in the estimation of yield figures. He said that now, extensive use of technology has been adopted through satellite-based remote sensing method, which enables better assessment of actual yield and loss, and insurance claims can be paid on a more scientific and impartial basis; farmers are directly benefiting from this in the new crop insurance system.
Union Minister Shri Chouhan informed that during the NDA government’s tenure, farmers have deposited a total of about ₹36,055 crore as premium under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, in return for which about ₹1,92,477 crore of insurance claim amount have been deposited into farmers’ accounts; this is proof that the scheme has been extremely beneficial for farmers. He also clarified that earlier, local level disasters or crop loss of any single farmer was generally not considered covered, and assessment mainly happened at tehsil/block unit level, but now the provisions have been changed to ensure that if even a single farmer’s crop is damaged and yield figures prove it, then compensation for his loss will also be provided through the crop insurance scheme; no farmer will be deprived of insurance security.
He said that these are not just paper schemes but concrete steps implemented at the ground level, whose direct benefits are visible in farmers’ income and security. Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that PM Modi’s government is farmer-friendly, which stands firmly with the ‘annadatta’ and life-giver farmer in every crisis. He said that we will never back down from the resolve to give farmers the full price of their sweat in any situation; protecting the farmer’s hard work and honour is our topmost priority.