On September 27 in Hyderabad, the government's committee on the minimum support price (MSP), natural farming, and crop diversification will hold its second meeting.
In the first meeting held on August 22 in the national capital, the committee which is led by former Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agrawal formed three internal sub-groups to deliberate on the mandated topics.
The panel has 26 members, including the chairman, while three membership slots are kept aside for Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) delegates. However, the SKM has decided to skip the meeting and has rejected the committee.
On the condition of anonymity, a committee member told PTI, "The second meeting will be conducted on September 27 on the campus of the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) in Hyderabad.
The member said that the entire committee will meet for a full day of discussion on the mandated subjects.
The committee has been tasked with providing "suggestions to make MSP available to farmers of the country by making the system more effective and transparent," according to the agriculture ministry's notification on July 18.
It will also give suggestions on “practicality to give more autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and measures to make it more scientific”.
Additionally, it will give recommendations to "strengthen the agricultural marketing system in accordance with the changing requirements to ensure higher value to farmers through remunerative prices of their produce by making use of the domestic and export potential."
In addition to suggesting programs and schemes for value chain development, protocol validation and research for future needs, and support for area expansion under the Indian natural farming system by publicity and through involvement and contribution of farmer organisations, the committee has been given the task of suggesting five points regarding natural farming.
The committee has been asked to make recommendations on four topics related to crop diversification which include mapping of the current cropping patterns in the agro-ecological zones of producer and consumer states; strategy for diversification policy to change the cropping pattern; arrangement for agricultural diversification and system to ensure remunerative prices; and review and recommendation on micro-irrigation schemes.
