It could be fairly inferred that the present MSP/assured cost system covers 25 million-plus farmers across all crops, including pulses and oilseeds. The real quantity could be ranging from 15 percent and 25 percent.

“Only 6% of Indian farmers reap the benefits of minimal support rates (MSP)”. Therefore widely-quoted is this figure — particularly within the context of this recently-passed Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act — so it is actually a factoid if not truism.

What exactly is, is not counted

The obvious supply of the 6% figure could be the Shanta Kumar-headed High amount Committee on Restructuring of Food Corporation of Asia (FCI). Its report, submitted in January 2015, had noted that just 5.21 million of this country’s total calculated 90.20 million households that are agricultural 2012-13 had offered paddy and wheat to your federal federal government procurement agency. Put simply, significantly less than 5.8per cent. The committee, in turn, based its analysis regarding the nationwide test Survey Office’s (NSSO) ‘Key Indicators of Situation of Agricultural Households in Asia’ report when it comes to 2012-13 farm 12 months (July-June).

The Shanta Kumar panel, but, seemed just at paddy (un-milled rice) and wheat. While most of general general public procurement is, without doubt, restricted to those two cereals — the 76.49 million tonnes (mt) of paddy and 38.99 mt of wheat purchased by FCI and state agencies in 2019-20 had been well worth nearly Rs 215,000 crore at their particular MSPs — you have to additionally take into consideration other plants.

The table that is accompanying information on procurement of major plants during 2019-20: Paddy/rice and wheat by FCI; chana (chickpea), arhar/tur (pigeon pea), moong (green gram), groundnut and rapeseed-mustard by the nationwide Agricultural Cooperative advertising Federation of Asia (NAFED); and cotton because of the Cotton Corporation of Asia. It includes milk procurement by dairy cooperatives, that are mostly organisations that are quasi-government spend guaranteed costs to farmers even in the event not theoretically MSP. Their collection averaged 507.69 kg that is lakh time or 18.53 mt annually in 2018-19.

Information is for 2018-19 and procurement by dairy cooperatives

It may be seen that the procurement of the plants is not very insignificant general to their believed production. The ratios come from 29.5 per cent to over 43 percent for paddy/rice, cotton and wheat, 18-19% in chana and arhar/tur, 10% in milk, and 7-9% in mustard and groundnut.

The aforementioned percentages could be also greater if determined against real product product sales by farmers. just just Take milk, where in actuality the government’s manufacturing quotes by themselves are probably regarding the greater part. But even presuming the 187.75 output that is mt for 2018-19 to be right, perhaps perhaps not over fifty percent from it (say, 90 mt) would represent marketable excess after self-consumption by farm households. The ratio of cooperative procurement — which is why there clearly was authentic data through the nationwide Dairy developing Board (NDDB) — is supposed to be at the least a 5th of this surplus that is marketable of.

Milk aside, sugarcane is yet another crop perhaps maybe perhaps not procured by federal federal government agencies by itself. Cane costs are, however, fixed because of the federal federal federal government, with sugar mills lawfully bound to pay for the Centre’s reasonable and remunerative cost (FRP) within week or two of purchase. They purchase approximately 80percent associated with the total crop produced. The FRP value of cane crushed by them into the 2019-20 period (October-September) alone had been Rs 75,585 crore.

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An underestimate

How can all this work, then, square up with all the “only 6% of farmers have MSP” theory? The solution is the fact that this oft-repeated number is demonstrably an underestimate. It's therefore regardless if one had been to take into account just paddy and wheat.

Based on the earlier-mentioned NSSO report, 44.84 million or nearly 50 % of India’s estimated 90.2 million agricultural households cultivated paddy during July-December 2012 and another 8.46 million in January-June 2013.

Besides, 35.23 million (39%) expanded wheat that 12 months. If 43.4% of India’s rice/paddy production and 36.2% of wheat ended up being really procured by federal federal government agencies, its apparent that the MSP advantages would have accrued to far significantly more than the 5.8% figure within the Shanta Kumar committee report. The foodstuff Ministry’s very own data programs that 11.06 million paddy and 4.06 million wheat farmers benefited from MSP procurement in 2019-20. Also after eliminating double-counting (Punjab and Haryana farmers cultivate both crops), they might soon add up to 13-13.5 million, which will be method over the Shanta Kumar panel’s estimate of 5.21 million.

One could extend the analysis to many other crops too. The NSSO report has believed the sum total cotton-growing households at 7.55 million and that of sugarcane at 6.2 million. As much as 10 million of those might have availed of either MSP or FRP. NDDB’s 2018-19 Annual Report has put the full total producer-members of dairy cooperatives at 16.93 million. Whether or not 1 / 2 of them aren’t regular pourers, there would nevertheless be 8 million or more farmers today milk that is selling a minimum guaranteed price. The existence of cooperatives, moreover, means that private dairies spend nearer to the formers’ rates.

On the whole, it may be fairly inferred that the present price that is MSP/assured covers 25 million-plus farmers across all plants, including pulses and oilseeds. With regards to the denominator – the 2015-16 Agriculture Census places the number that is total of holdings at 146.45 million – that results in ranging from 15% and 25%. Definitely, maybe perhaps maybe not 6%.