Minimum Support Price (MSP)

Syllabus: GS 3 > Agriculture > Crops  

REFERENCE NEWS:

• Documents recently accessed by The Indian Express under the Right to Information Act 2005 show that several departments wrote to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, flagging concerns associated with the Mininum Support Price (MSP).

MORE ON NEWS:

• Concerns raised by various departments:
  • Import dependence: 
    • The Department of Food & Public Distribution said the MSP for oilseeds has not delivered the desired result in terms of an increase in domestic production, and India is still dependent on imports to fulfil 55% of its requirements.
    • The department noted that high returns on crops like wheat and rapeseed/mustard, at 102% and 98% respectively, encourage their cultivation. In contrast, lower returns from pulses and safflower dissuade farmers, leading to increased imports. 
  • Unequal benefits:
    • The Department of Expenditure highlighted the disparity in wheat procurement, which benefits only a few states, and emphasized the need to address this skewness. It also questioned the high increase in MSP for wheat and lentil, urging MSP to support crop diversification and boost oilseed and pulse production. 
  • WTO obligations
    • The Department of Commerce, in its correspondence, emphasized India's need to adhere to the World Trade Organisation's "de-minimis" subsidy limits. This rule permits minimal trade-distorting domestic support—up to 10% of production value for developing countries. 
    • India has surpassed this limit for rice in recent years, invoking the WTO's 'Peace Clause' for protection, despite counter notifications from some WTO members. The Department of Commerce recommended setting specific targets for MSP procurement to align with India's international trade obligations and balance domestic policies with global commitments.
• The Agriculture Ministry response:
  • The Agriculture Ministry, in its response to the suggestions, said MSPs are determined by various factors, including demand and supply dynamics, price levels in domestic and international markets, inter-crop price parity, and their impact on the broader economy. . It further said the government encourages diversified production of crops such as pulses, coarse cereals, nutri cereals, cotton, and oilseeds under the National Food Security Mission and horticulture crops under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.

 WHAT IS MSP?

• Minimum Support Price is the price set by the government to purchase crops from the farmers. MSP was introduced to give financial stability into the agricultural system and encourage production.
• MSP for major agricultural products is fixed by the Department of Agriculture and Co-operation, Government of India, before the sowing season each year.
• The prises are fixed on the basis of recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
•  CACP calculates cost of production at three levels:
  • A2, which includes cost of inputs such as seeds, fertilizer, labour.
  • A2+FL, which includes the implied cost of family labour (FL).
  • C2, which includes the implied rent on land and interest on capital assets over and above A2+FL.
• Since 2018, MSPs is fixed at 1.5 times of the A2+FL production cost.

CROPS COVERED:

At present, Government announces MSPs for a total of 25 crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane. They are:

IMPACTS OF MSP:

Positive:

• Assured income: Assured price and direct purchase by the government has resulted in better price realization for farmers and prevented their exploitation by middlemen.
• Insulates farmers: MSP insulates farmers from fluctuation in prices caused by market imperfections, free trade and other elements plaguing the agricultural markets.
• Encourages investments into farm fields:  The guaranteed price and assured market encourages higher investment and adoption of modern technologies in agricultural activities.
• Take informed decisions: MSP has become a benchmark for producer, as it helps in estimating the revenue, thereby aiding the financial planning and also influencing borrowing decisions if any.
• Empowers small farmers: Small and marginal farmers with less than two hectares of land account for 86.2% of all farmers in India. Without the MSPs, these farmers, who have neither bargaining power nor expertise for price discovery, will be at the mercy of middlemen and private entities.
• Strengthened buffer stock: MSP has a direct impact on the buffer stock held by the government and the public distribution system. MSP helps the government attract farmers and procure items from them to meet the requirements of the public distribution system.

Negative:

• Altered cropping pattern: The cropping pattern and crop diversity has skewed towards those crops with high MSP and margins. For eg: Pulse growing areas in Central and North India have been taken up by Rice and wheat because of their higher MSP.
• Promotes unsustainable agriculture: The change in cropping pattern and excess focus on mono cropping is making agriculture unsustainable. For eg: Paddy production in the semi-arid Punjab plains has adversely affected the groundwater management in the region.
• Encouraged inefficiency: Because of the assured price and procurement, farmers are less interested in improving productivity from their farmlands. For instance, although India ranks second in the production of rice, its yield is lower than Brazil, China and the United States.

• Wastage of produce: Since there are no procurement targets, the state and central agencies procure more than what is required or what they are capable to handle. This results in wastage of crops.
• Creates market distortions: MSP distorts the market because the government procurement agencies buy lion’s share of the produce and thereby force out private players. Also, too much of a hike on MSP paves way for inflationary effects on the economy.
• Fiscal burden: The successive hiking of MSP, coupled with open-ended procurement and heavily subsidized distribution under National Food Security Act (NFSA) has resulted in a ballooning food subsidy budget.  
• Political tool: MSP has become part of the vote bank politics in India. As a result, successive governments have focused on hiking MSP rather than addressing structural efforts such as investing in agri-infrastructure, reforming the markets and initiating land reforms.

CHALLENGES:

• Weak public procurement mechanism: The government procurement mechanism varies across the country. In parts of the country where the procurement mechanism is weak, farmers end up selling their produce at a price lower than the MSP.
• Insufficient pricing: Farm activists have argued that the current A2+FL MSP formula is not sufficient to make farming profitable and should have been replaced with the C2 costs.
• Intercrop disparity: Although MSPs are declared for various crops, public procurement is limited to a few crops such as paddy, wheat and, to a limited extent, pulses as shown in Figure 1.

• Regional disparity: The procurement is largely limited to a few states. For eg: Three states which produce 49% of the national wheat output account for 93% of procurement. Also, the actual costing for production varies from place to place, more severely so in areas with lack of irrigation facilities and infrastructure. Thus, not all farmers get equal benefits.
• Lack of awareness: In a report to measure the efficacy of MSPs, the NITI Aayog found that a low proportion of farmers (10%) were aware of MSPs before the sowing season.  62% of the farmers were informed of MSPs only after sowing their crops.
• International disputes: India’s MSP regime has been a major bone of contention under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) because it comes under trade distorting support as per the Agreement on Agriculture.

WAY FORWARD:

• Switch to C2 based MSP: The Abhijit Sen Committee on Long-term Grain Policy and the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) chaired by Professor M.S. Swaminathan had recommended that the MSPs must be based on its projection of the full C2 cost.
• Long-term MSP policy: The Department of Food and Public Distribution recommended a long-term MSP policy for the next five years to provide farmers with future price clarity, aiding in informed crop choices.
• NITI Aayog’s alternatives: NITI Aayog in consultation with state governments has proposed three alternative mechanisms:
  • Market assurance scheme: This proposes procurement by government machinery from the farmers at MSP in case farm harvest prices fall below that.
  • Price Deficiency payment: Price deficiency payment scheme - Under this scheme if the farmers’ sale price is below a modal price, then the they will be compensated the difference between MSP and actual price.
  • Private participation in stockers scheme: This scheme relates to the procurement at MSP by the private entrepreneurs.
  • It pointed out the low productivity of pulses in rice fallow areas in several states, needing specific attention.
• Oilseeds and pulse production: The Department of Food & Public Distribution suggests raising the MSP for oilseeds and pulses to boost production and encourage the adoption of high-yielding varieties. NITI Aayog also recommended 14 non-price interventions, including crop diversification, improved access to quality seeds, and efficient fertilizer use, to enhance oilseed and pulse productivity.
• Market reforms: There is a need to transform marketing arrangements for improving market efficiency by strengthening existing institutions, like FPOs, contract farming, cooperatives, and SHGs.
• Adopt modern technologies: Establishing monitoring and forecasting units at the state and national level will help in taking informed decisions well in advance. For this, technologies such as big data analysis and Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be leveraged.
• Encourage sustainable farming: Governments need to encourage crop diversification and efficient farming practices. For this, initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and national mission on sustainable agriculture needs to be leveraged.  
• Promote cooperatives: Cooperative agriculture is a key area which can help small and marginal farmers. Governments need to leverage on the success stories of Amul Dairy Cooperative in Gujarat and Kudumbashree programme in Kerala and encourage cooperative farming.
• Invest in long term development: Hiking MSP without investing in infrastructure is just a short-term play. Governments should boost their efforts towards long-term developments, such as irrigation, transport and storage facilities, agri-credit and climate smart agriculture.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. “The Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been a key factor in moulding India's agricultural sector, offering an essential safeguard for farmers." Critically analyse the MSP system with reference to the statement. (15 marks, 250 words)