Exclude brokers in proposed scheme to ensure MSP to farmers: Par Panel

The government should exclude brokers and adopt liberal financing pattern for the implementation of its proposed schemes to ensure that farmers get minimum support price (MSP) for their crops, a parliamentary panel has recommended.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, headed by Hukm Deo Narayan Yadav, today presented reports on 'Demand for Grants' of three departments under the agriculture ministry --- agriculture & cooperation; agriculture research and education; animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries.
It also presented a report on demand of grants of food processing ministry.
In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced that the Niti Aayog in consultation with central and state governments will put in place a fool-proof mechanism to ensure farmers get benefit of MSP.

"The Committee note that Market Assurance Scheme (MAS) is being proposed as a decentralised scheme for procurement of pulses, oilseeds and coarse grains produced in respective states whose MSP are declared by the central government," the report said.
The Centre will reimburse states for up to 40 per cent of losses incurred by the state agencies, it added.

Similarly, the report said that the Price Deficiency Procurement Scheme (PDPS) envisages direct payment of the difference between the MSP and the selling price to farmers selling his produce in the APMC yard through a transparent auction process.
The panel said that these schemes are under consideration and hoped that the Niti Aayog would complete the process of consultation with all stakeholders for launch of this scheme in next fiscal.

"However, the committee desire the government to incorporate suitable measures in schemes to exclude brokers during the implementation of the scheme," the report said.
It also asked the government to adopt liberal financing pattern for implementation of the scheme in early years.
In a separate report on animal husbandry department, the panel recommended functional autonomy to Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) on the lines of other commercial dairies, enabling it to take strategic decisions.
"The Committee have also recommended that upgradation and renovation of the DMS plant and its machinery be taken up at the earliest in order to help the plant function to its optimal capacity," the report added.

On the need to address the issue of farmers loans and avert farmers suicides, the panel recommended that the government should formulate a policy for grant of special package for rehabilitation of the bereaved families of the farmers who commit suicide under distress.
A mechanism should be set up to monitor the relief to bereaved families without any inordinate delay, it added.