Government procured just 3% of pulses, seeds targeted under PM-AASHA scheme

News:According to the Agricultural ministry data,less than 3% of this season’s sanctioned amount of pulses and oilseeds have actually been procured under the PM-AASHA scheme.

Facts:

About PM-AASHA scheme:

• PM-AASHA stands for Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan scheme.
• The scheme aims to provide Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers.It ensures remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018.
• The increase in MSP can improve farmer’s income by strengthening procurement mechanism in coordination with the State Governments.

Components of the scheme:The scheme comprises of three sub-schemes which are:

Price Support Scheme(PSS):

• Under PSS,the physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and Copra will be done by Central Nodal Agencies in collaboration with state governments.
• The Food Corporation of India(FCI) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India(NAFED) will help implement the scheme.
• The Central Government will bear the procurement expenditure and losses due to procurement.

Price Deficiency Payment Scheme(PDPS):

• Under PDPS,it is proposes to cover all the oilseeds for which MSP is notified.
• The state will provide direct payment of the difference between the MSP and the selling price to pre-registered farmers selling their produce in the notified market yard.
• The aim of the scheme is to provide compensation to farmers for agriculture products whenever its price falls below the announced Minimum support price(MSP) and thereby protecting them from losses suffered on account of distress sale.
• All payments will be done directly into registered bank accounts of the farmers.There will be no physical procurement of crops.
• The scheme has been framed on the lines of Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana, Madhya Pradesh government’s scheme to protect the interests of oilseed farmers in the state.

Pilot of Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme(PPPS):

• Under this scheme, the participation of the private sector in procurement operations will be piloted.
• The States have the option to roll out the scheme on a pilot basis in selected districts/APMCs involving private stockists.

Additional information:

About Bhavantan Bharpayee Yojna(BBY):

• The Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojana was launched by the Haryana government in 2018.
• The scheme has been designed and developed for safeguarding the investment of the farmers.
• Under the scheme,the state agricultural department will fix the least selling price of certain crops. 
• In case the farmer gets the price lower than the price fixed by the government, the difference will be paid as an incentive to the farmers directly into their bank accounts.