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Source: The post is based on an article “The new agricultural panel raises questions” published in the Indian Express on 20th July 2022.
Syllabus: GS 3 Agriculture and Allied Sector
Relevance: Farm Reforms
News: The government has finally constituted a committee to promote zero budget-based farming, change crop patterns and make the Minimum Support Price (MSP) more effective and transparent.
The new committee was preceded by a Supreme Court-appointed panel. The SC Panel had spoken against the withdrawal of the controversial farm laws. In its report, it said that the “majority” of the farm unions supported the bills, therefore a repeal would be “unfair to this silent majority”.
About the committee
It is an exhaustive body of 28 members with cross representation from the Central and state governments, farmers union, agricultural scientists and economists.
What are the arguments of critics against the formation of the committee?
Many will criticise the committee as out of 8 farmer members in the committee, five were nominated by the government and are known to be sympathetic to its views.
Other members and chairman appointed by the government do not have the faith of the farmers community.
Again, the committee, by design, has no state representation from Punjab, a major grain procurement state. This could be used to whip up divisive sentiments in the state.
The committee’s mandate fails to understand the changing cropping patterns with diversification. It is, at best, a subset of diversification.
The agricultural problems cannot be solved by having discussions centred on cropping choices and practices alone. Solutions require a systems approach. This cannot happen when the mandate is limited to crops,
Even though one-third of all agricultural GDP comes from rearing animals, the Secretary, Ministry of Animal Husbandry is not even a member of the committee.
Lastly, the committee which has not been given a time frame to deliver the report. Therefore, this may lead to release of the report after the 2024 parliamentary elections.
What should be done?
The chairman and the members should be appointed who can build trust on the farms related reform.
The government should broaden its imagination to see unimagined opportunities of a food systems approach.
