Samiti urges government to establish red gram procurement centres

The news headline, "Samiti urges government to establish red gram procurement centres," despite lacking specific article content, opens a critical window into the persistent challenges faced by Indian agriculture and the government's role in market intervention. This topic is central to understanding India's agrarian economy, farmer welfare, and food security.

**Background Context and What Happened (Implications):**

Indian agriculture, employing a significant portion of the population, is often characterized by price volatility, market imperfections, and farmer distress. Pulses, like red gram (tur/arhar dal), are vital protein sources in the Indian diet and crucial for soil health through nitrogen fixation. However, their cultivation often suffers from unpredictable yields and fluctuating market prices. A 'Samiti' (which could be a farmers' association, a cooperative, or a local committee) urging the government to establish procurement centers typically indicates a situation where farmers are facing difficulties selling their produce at remunerative prices in the open market. This could be due to a bumper harvest leading to a supply glut, manipulative practices by traders, or simply a lack of adequate market infrastructure. The demand for procurement centers is essentially a call for government intervention to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) for red gram, thereby safeguarding farmers' incomes and preventing distress sales.

**Key Stakeholders Involved:**

1. **Farmers:** The primary stakeholders, whose livelihoods depend on realizing fair prices for their produce. They seek stable and assured markets.

2. **The 'Samiti' (Farmers' Associations/Cooperatives):** These organizations act as intermediaries, aggregating farmers' demands and advocating for their interests before the government. Their role is crucial in articulating ground-level issues and mobilizing support.

3. **Government (Central and State):** The central government, primarily through agencies like the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and the Small Farmers' Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC), is responsible for implementing procurement policies for pulses and oilseeds under schemes like Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA). State governments play a crucial role in identifying procurement locations, setting up infrastructure, and facilitating the process. The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution are key ministries involved.

4. **Consumers:** Benefit from stable supply and reasonable prices of essential commodities like red gram, which government procurement can help achieve by building buffer stocks.

5. **Traders and Market Intermediaries:** While they provide market linkages, they are often criticized for price exploitation, especially during harvest seasons, which fuels the demand for government procurement.

**Why This Matters for India:**

This issue holds immense significance for India across several dimensions. Economically, ensuring remunerative prices for red gram farmers directly impacts rural incomes, reduces agrarian distress, and can stimulate the rural economy. Politically, farmer welfare is a major electoral issue, and governments are often pressured to deliver on promises of fair prices. Socially, stable pulse production and availability contribute to food security and nutritional well-being, especially for the protein-deficient sections of the population. India has historically been a major importer of pulses, and promoting domestic cultivation through assured procurement can reduce import dependence, saving valuable foreign exchange. The government's push for self-sufficiency in pulses under schemes like the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) – Pulses aims to address this.

**Historical Context:**

The concept of government procurement and MSP originated in the mid-1960s with the establishment of the Agricultural Prices Commission (now CACP) in 1965, primarily to incentivize cereal production during the Green Revolution. While initial focus was on wheat and rice, the need to diversify agriculture and address protein deficiency led to the inclusion of pulses and oilseeds under MSP and procurement mechanisms over time. However, the procurement infrastructure and effectiveness for pulses have historically lagged behind that for cereals, leading to continued calls from farmer groups for better support.

**Future Implications:**

Future implications revolve around the sustainability and effectiveness of government intervention. There is a continuous debate on whether MSP and procurement are the most efficient ways to support farmers, given the fiscal burden and potential market distortions. The push for procurement centers highlights the need for robust agricultural marketing reforms, including better storage facilities, improved market intelligence, and wider adoption of electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) to provide farmers with more options. The government must balance farmer welfare with efficient resource allocation and market-oriented reforms. Climate change also poses a threat to pulse production, making stable procurement policies even more critical for risk mitigation for farmers.

**Related Constitutional Articles, Acts, or Policies:**

* **Seventh Schedule of the Constitution:** Agriculture falls under the State List (Entry 14), but “Trade and commerce in, and the production, supply and distribution of food stuffs” is on the Concurrent List (Entry 33), allowing both central and state governments to legislate on agricultural marketing and procurement.

* **Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP):** Articles like **Article 38** (State to secure a social order for the promotion of welfare of the people), **Article 39** (right to an adequate means of livelihood), and **Article 43** (living wage for workers) provide the philosophical basis for government intervention to protect farmers' interests.

* **Minimum Support Price (MSP) Policy:** Though not explicitly a law, it's a major policy tool announced by the government based on recommendations from the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).

* **Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA):** Launched in 2018, this umbrella scheme comprises three sub-schemes – Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS), and Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPSS) – specifically to ensure remunerative prices to farmers for their produce, including pulses.

* **National Food Security Mission (NFSM):** Launched in 2007, it includes NFSM-Pulses, aimed at increasing the production of pulses to ensure food security.