 "M S Swaminathan")
M S Swaminathan, agriculture scientist and the father of India’s Green Revolution, has exhorted the government to adopt an agriculture pricing policy, among other measures, to double farmers’ income by 2022.
Swaminathan made the suggestions in a presentation on Friday at a day-long seminar on ‘Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022’. State-specific recommendations were also discussed at the event. The formula for fixing the price, largely through the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism, which is 50 per cent more than the comprehensive cost of cultivation as determined the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP), was first suggested by the National Commission for Farmers constituted under the previous UPA government in 2007. Swaminathan headed the panel. The ruling Bharatiya Janata party, in its 2014 general election manifesto, had assured moving towards the Swaminathan formula for fixing the price of farm products.
The MSP for rabi crops to be grown in 2017-19 announced last month was less than 40 per cent of their average comprehensive cost as determined by the CACP. The eminent agriculturist also advocated creating special agriculture zones to conserve prime farm land and realising the untapped potential of rain-fed areas.
He recommended promoting organic farming zones and introducing a systems approach with concurrent attention to all links in the conservation, cultivation, consumption and commerce chain, with an emphasis on assured and remunerative marketing. Swaminathan stressed to create a good weather code to fight the ill-effects of climate change, special programmes to empower female farmers and proper utilisation of biomass. The Centre has embarked on an ambitious target to double farmers’ income by 2022. A draft strategy paper released by the ministry of agriculture a few months back targeted to raise the average income of a farmer household in India to Rs 2,19,724 by 2022-23, from the 2015-16 base year of Rs 96,703, with the help of an additional public and private investment of Rs 6.4 lakh crore.
The first four volumes of the 14-part draft report showed that the targeted 127 per cent increase in income will raise the share of farm income in total farmer household income to 69.22 in 2022-23, from 60.2 per cent in 2015-16 (the base year) across all states.
At constant prices, the average income of a farmer household is targeted to be increased to Rs 156,154, from Rs 96,703, according to the draft. Income at current prices is calculated assuming an average inflation rate of five per cent. In the total income, the draft said, more than 69 per cent would come from core farm activities and the rest from non-farm activities.
For a targeted 10.41 per cent annual increase in farmers’ income from 2015-16 to 2022-23, the draft said an additional public investment of Rs 5.1 lakh crore and private investment of Rs 1.32 lakh crore is required at 2011-12 prices.
The average monthly income per agricultural household for the agricultural year July 2012-June 2013 in India was Rs 6,426.
The maximum average monthly income was reported in Punjab at Rs 18,059 and the minimum was reported in Bihar at Rs 3,558, in 2012-13.
