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This move will ensure that Indian farmers continue to have access to the technology for crop protection at an affordable price, as these pesticides are manufactured in India.

The Government of India after an extensive review of 27 pesticides through an appointed Expert Committee, based on substantial data on safety and efficacy submitted by the Pesticides industry, decided to continue the use of 24 pesticides. This decision has been welcomed and lauded by the agri community, including small holding farmers as they have been already safely using these products for the last decades on multiple crops.

This move will ensure that Indian farmers continue to have access to the technology for crop protection at an affordable price, as these pesticides are manufactured in India.

The government’s decision to continue the use of these critical 24 pesticides demonstrates the realities of agriculture and the importance of farmers having access to technology that is affordable as they need to produce quality food at an affordable price compared to exorbitantly expensive imported substitute pesticides.

Farmers across the country have welcomed the government’s decision, saying that access to safe and effective pesticides is critical for protecting crops and ensuring a good harvest. The continued use of these 24 critical pesticides is a necessary step towards safeguarding India’s food production system while ensuring that farmers can continue to produce food efficiently and sustainably.

Gavneet Singh, Director, Ambala Farmer Producer Organizations, Haryana, said, “As farmers, we know how important it is to have access to safe and effective pesticides to protect our crops and ensure a good harvest. This decision by the government is a positive step as these pesticides continue to be recommended by the State Agriculture Universities and farmers have the experience of using them safely on their crops.”

Harpreet Singh, CEO Pehowa Farmer Producer Organizations, Haryana, said “this is an important step towards safeguarding yield and livelihood. We have worked with these pesticides and confident of its performance. Opting for any alternative may have impacted our input costs and overall production.”

Pest and disease control is critical for maintaining the quality and safety of our food supply. The continued use of these 24 critical pesticides is a necessary step as these pesticides are also used as mixture with relatively new products for resistance management against potentially resistant weeds, insects and diseases.

Insect pests can create crop damages between 20 – 30 per cent including grains stored in the warehouses.  Pesticides are also used as smart fumigants for grain storage to protect crops from storage insects in wheat, rice, pulses and oil-seeds.

Government of India has already approved use of drones for safer and efficient use of pesticides. Pest and disease control is critical for maintaining the quality and safety of our food supply. Pesticides are carefully designed to target specific pests and diseases, and their use is strictly regulated to ensure that they do not harm non-target organisms or the environment.

This move will ensure that Indian farmers

Department deputed 12 senior officers to visit various places in the States of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to take stock of ground reality.

Senior Officers from the Department of Consumer Affairs visited 10 various locations across four States to interact and observe stock disclosure status of Tur and Urad during past days.

In this regard, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Rohit Kumar Singh took an internal meeting with these officers who visited major pulses markets and interacted with various market players. During the last week, apart from holding a meeting with All India Dal Mills Association at Indore by the Secretary, Government of India, on 15th April, 2023, the Department deputed 12 senior officers to visit various places in the States of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to take stock of ground reality.

The interactions with ground level market players and State officials revealed that while the number of registration and stock disclosure on the e-portal is increasing, substantial number of market players have either not registered or failed to update their stock positions on regular basis. It has been observed that stocks under transaction, like, farmer’s stocks lying in mandi for auction, stocks awaiting customs clearance at ports etc. escaped the current monitoring mechanism. Further, it has also been observed that millers and traders/dealers have resorted to holding their stocks in warehouses in the name of farmers in a deliberate attempt to escape stock declaration.

Senior officers of the Department visited various locations, namely, Indore, Chennai, Salem, Mumbai, Akola, Latur, Sholapur, Kalaburagi, Jabalpur and Katni and interacted with officers of the State Governments, millers, traders, importers and port authorities and conducted meeting with associations of millers, importers and traders. The market players were sensitized on the importance of stock declaration and have been asked to declare their stocks truthfully and regularly or else stringent action such as seizure and confiscation of undeclared stocks may be done by the State Government.

To improve the stock disclosure data, the Department is making certain changes in the e-portal https://fcainfoweb.nic.in/psp/ such as, incorporating text boxes for providing warehouse in which stock is held, provision for dealer/commission agent/mandi trader to upload stock data of farmer lying in his shop yard for auctioning etc.

The office bearers of Importers association informed that Traders from other States like Telengana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka are also importing Tur Dal from Chennai Port and requested clarification about their reporting in the State of Importers or in the State of receiving the import to ensure no duplication of data.It was clarified that the stocks should be reported in the State where it is physically available/stocked.

The Department has already directed State Governments and District Administrations to intensify the enforcement of stock declaration by conducting stock verification and take strict action on undisclosed stocks under relevant sections of the EC Act, 1955 and the Prevention of Black marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980. States have also been asked to look into the data pertaining to FSSAI licences, APMC registration, GST registration, warehouses and custom bonded warehouses and encourage these entities also to report their declarations of stock in order to widen the coverage of market players.

Department deputed 12 senior officers to visit

 DAHD is also collaborating with Ministry of Rural Development to train more animal health workers/paravets.

During the second round of the Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination drive, around 24 crore cattle and buffaloes in the country have now been covered out of a targeted population of 25.8 Crore Cattle (as per data furnished by the states); reaching a near universal coverage of over 95 per cent which is well beyond the herd immunity level. Reaching this milestone has been made possible due to the relentless efforts of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Government of India, State/ UT Governments/ administration, and most importantly the support of the livestock owners.

The program is 100 per cent funded by Government of India which is centrally procuring vaccines against FMD and supplying to States and is also providing for vaccination charges, accessories, awareness creation, cold chain infrastructure etc. to enable the States/ UTs to undertake vaccination in campaign mode. The livestock owners are sensitized and made aware through various information, education and communication measures to get their animals vaccinated and requested to contact the nearest livestock health workers/ veterinarians to avail the facility. DAHD is also collaborating with Ministry of Rural Development to train more animal health workers/paravets.

It is expected that with such continued efforts, the goal of controlling and eventually eradicating Foot & Mouth Disease from the country will be achieved which will also help in increasing the income of livestock farmers/ keepers and in boosting India’s trade in livestock products.

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a major disease of livestock especially in cattle and buffaloes in India and causes huge economic loss to livestock owners due to a reduction in milk yield. To address the problem, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) launched the National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) in 2019 which is now a part of Livestock Health & Disease Control Programme. The program aims to control Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) through vaccination leading to its eventual eradication by 2030. This will result in increased domestic production and ultimately in increased exports of livestock products. Currently under this program vaccination is carried out in all cattle and buffaloes.

 DAHD is also collaborating with Ministry of

MNRE supports new age digital marketplace for bioenergy and encourages entrepreneurial model for FPOs and farmers

 BiofuelCircle- a digital marketplace for biomass and biofuels, is developing a digital enterprise for FPOs and farmers. Under the guidance of MNRE and GIZ, it has partnered with BAIF to set up 20 such enterprises in Maharashtra. A workshop was organized in Pune to showcase the model and demonstrate on-ground development of strengthening the biomass supply chain.

The workshop was graced by the presence of Dinesh Jagdale, Joint Secretary, MNRE, Government of India as a keynote speaker where he elaborated on the changing energy landscape in India and how the country has taken a leadership position in terms of renewable energy. 

The two-day workshop was organized at the BAIF Campus in Pune where various industry experts deliberated on the potential of clean energy using technology-based solutions.  

Elaborating further Dinesh Jagdale, Joint Secretary, MNRE, Government of India said, “A digital marketplace like BiofuelCircle can shape the future biomass market for India. It gives an opportunity to a buyer and seller to interact anonymously, discover price through market mechanism, for – delivery time, place, and commodity of their choice. It also presents an opportunity for FPOs and rural enterprises to create viable business model to supply Agri residue as a green energy alternative.”

Adding to this, Suhas Baxi, Co-founder and CEO, BiofuelCircle said, “At BiofuelCircle we aim to establish a connect between industrial and rural India. We are working towards demystifying and standardizing biomass to make it more accessible by providing value discovery for manufacturers and buyers. Challenges for the development of FPOs have been identified and we are now working towards addressing them by taking the mission forward which will contribute towards sustainability and green energy in India.”

Bharat Kakade, President and Managing Trustee, BAIF said “It is a privilege to be a part of this initiative where we are working towards shaping the bioenergy landscape by transitioning it into an enterprise with the support of MNRE and BiofuelCircle. We are working on an integrated program by leveraging technologies to give a new direction to the rural program by creating a vibrant bioeconomy.”  

MNRE supports new age digital marketplace for

This will help FCV Tobacco farmers overcome the damage caused by Mandous Cyclonic rains in Andhra Pradesh

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles has accorded approval for Rs 28.11 crore to extend special interest free loan @ of Rs 10,000 to each member of Tobacco Board’s Growers’ Welfare Schemes under Southern Regions (Southern Light Soil and Southern Black Soil) of Andhra Pradesh from the Tobacco Growers’ Welfare Fund which will directly benefit 28,112 farmers.

This measure will help the FCV Tobacco farmers overcome the damage caused by Mandous Cyclonic rains and would greatly help the growers to take up immediate damage mitigation measures.

The interest-free loan to the eligible FCV Tobacco farmers will be administered by Tobacco Board, a statutory body under Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

FCV tobacco is a major commercial crop grown in 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh with an annual production of 121 m.kg (2021-22) grown in an area of 66,000 ha. FCV tobacco is the major exportable tobacco variety of the total unmanufactured tobacco exports from India. Out of the total unmanufactured tobacco exports (excluding Tobacco Refuse), FCV tobacco exports accounted for 53.62 per cent in terms of quantity and 68.47 per cent in terms of value during FY 2021-22.

 FCV Tobacco growers sell their produce through e-auction platform developed and operated by Tobacco Board, through a transparent process ensuring fair and remunerative prices to farmers.

This will help FCV Tobacco farmers

With the DGCA certificate, AG 365 drone is now eligible for Rs 10 lakh unsecured loans from the AIF

India’s leading drone manufacturer, Marut Drones’ has received the Type Certification approvals from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its tested and robustly designed multi-utility agricultural drone AG 365. “AG 365 is designed and developed for Indian conditions and can be used for multiple purposes giving a higher ROI to the user. AG 365 is extensively tested for more than 1.5 lakh acres and optimised for performance to be used in agriculture. Further, extensive research is undergone with AG 365 for development of crop-specific drone spraying SOPs in collaboration with agricultural universities and research institutes,” the drone manufacturer said.

Having been awarded a type certificate for AG 365 model, the drone is now eligible for INR 10 lakh unsecured loans from the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) at a minimal 5-6 per cent interest rate. Further, a 50-100 per cent subsidy can be availed from the Government of India. The made-in-India Kisan Drone – AG 365 has been developed particularly for agricultural purposes to reduce crop loss, lower agrochemical usage, better yield and profits to the farmers, the company said.

With the DGCA certificate, AG 365 drone

To support Government of India’s efforts in creating long-lasting impact pathways to improve nutrition outcomes amongst the low-income population

New Delhi-based Indian School of Business (ISB) announced its collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India to further strengthen agriculture-nutrition convergence. The collaboration will be led by ISB, the University of Sheffield (UoS) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).  This was formally announced by Manoj Ahuja, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, at an event in Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi.

ISB will anchor this collaboration in the Ministry which will further augment the government’s efforts in improving nutrition outcomes and strengthening agriculture-nutrition convergence while establishing an institutional mechanism to identify convergence opportunities at both central and state levels.

Over a five-year period, UoS, LHSTM, & ISB, along with ISB’s implementation partners – CInI-TATA Trusts, MSC and PDAG, will work towards the vision to increase the accessibility, availability, and affordability of Nutrient-Dense Foods for low-income population in underserved areas through agriculture-nutrition policy convergence, such that improving nutrition outcomes amongst the target audience becomes a stable policy outcome over an extended time horizon.

Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said, “The need to improve nutrition, particularly of the underprivileged population, is of prime importance. There must be convergence of policies and programmes in agriculture and nutrition to address this pressing need. I am happy we are embarking on this journey with the consortium led by ISB; the Ministry will fully support this collaboration to strengthen research and policy for improved nutrition outcomes.”

Prof Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business (ISB), said, “The needle on nutrition in India has been hard to move. The collaboration, with a focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods (NDFs) such as fruits & vegetables (F&Vs) and animal source foods (ASFs), will support Government of India’s efforts in creating long-lasting impact pathways to improve nutrition outcomes amongst the low-income population”.

To support Government of India's efforts in

As of October 31, 2022, more than 96 per cent of cane dues of farmers for SS 2021-22 have already been cleared despite record procurement of sugarcane of more than Rs 1.18 lakh crore

The government of India has allowed the export of sugar up to 60 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) during the sugar season (SS) 2022-23. The Director General of Food Trade (DGFT) has already been notified to extend the inclusion of sugar exports under the ‘Restricted’ category up to October 31, 2023.

The Central Government has prioritised the availability of about 275 (LMT) of sugar for domestic consumption, about 50 LMT of sugar for diversion to ethanol production and has a closing balance of about 60 LMT as of 30.09.2023. A balanced quantity of sugar produced by sugar mills in the country would be allowed for exports. Since at the beginning of sugar season 2022-23, initial estimates of sugarcane production are available, it has been decided to allow the export of 60 LMT sugar. The sugarcane production in the country will be reviewed periodically and based on the latest available estimates, the quantity of sugar exports to be allowed could be reconsidered.

During SS 2021-22, India exported 110 LMT of sugar and became the second largest exporter of sugar in the world and earned about Rs 40,000 crore worth of foreign exchange for the country. Timely payment and low carrying cost of stocks for sugar mills also resulted in early clearance of cane arrears of farmers. As of October 31, 2022, more than 96 per cent of cane dues of farmers for SS 2021-22 were already cleared despite record procurement of sugarcane of more than 1.18 lakh crore rupees.

In the sugar export policy for SS 2022-23, Government has announced a sugar mill-wise export quota for all sugar mills in the country with an objective system based on the average production of sugar mills in the last three years and the average sugar production of the country in last 3 years. Further, to expedite the sugar exports and to ensure flexibility to sugar mills in the execution of the export quota, mills may decide to surrender the quota partially or fully within 60 days of the date of issue of the order or they can swap the export quota with domestic quota within 60 days.

At the end of Sugar Season 2022-23, it is expected that most sugar mills will be able to sell their products either in the domestic market or in the international market through exports and will clear the cane dues of farmers in time. Thus, the policy has created a WIN-WIN situation for sugar mills in the country.

As of October 31, 2022, more than

In an interaction with AgroSpectrum India, Vijay Sardana, a renowned techno-legal advisor on agribusinesses, explains the key dimensions of agriculture along with the action points that such committees should undertake. Edited excerpts.

Post the repeal of the farm laws last year, the centre was tasked with the forming of a committee to give suggestions on making minimum support price (MSP) more effective, giving more autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and to suggest measures to strengthen the agricultural marketing system. The committee had its first meeting in August and created sub-groups to examine the important issues hindering the business of agriculture. In an interaction with AgroSpectrum India, Vijay Sardana, a renowned techno-legal advisor on agribusinesses, explains the key dimensions of agriculture along with the action points that such committees should undertake. Edited excerpts.

Can you brief us about how MSP works and the role played by the government for its effective functioning?

There are a lot of issues surrounding agriculture, one of them being the remunerative prices given to farmers.  Here we have to consider the fact that price is a factor of market forces and the government itself cannot play around with the same beyond a certain bandwidth. One classical yet reverse example to explain the case in point is the recent losses being incurred by petroleum companies in the event of the government trying to control it. The Public Sector Units (PSUs), however, are not impacted by such a move as the losses are later absorbed by the government through sacrificed losses or recapitalisation. But the private players have to bear the brunt in such a case, thus being a testament to this theory that remains true in the business of agriculture as well.

What are the possible ways of fixing the demand-supply imbalance to improve the business aspect of agriculture? Can you also shed light on the implications in the event of not doing so?

Creating a demand for the crop is important to avoid crashing of prices due to a demand-supply imbalance.  This is being done by the government through the Public Distribution System (PDS) or Food Security Mission, which is already a saturated mechanism. The second way is through creation of export opportunities and to provide an outlet for the surplus when the international prices are high. The government pursued the latter this year which ultimately led to the crop prices being higher than MSP. The major problem arises in a reverse case when international prices are low and there is more production in the country. In such a case, the government cannot buy all the crops at MSP because it lacks the financial resources to do so. And even if the centre is willing to somehow deploy resources, the same cannot be implemented keeping in mind the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In the event of not following the regulations, the country can be subjected to reverse pressures and penalties on other exports like marine and software to name a few.  Therefore, when demanding a certain MSP, the farmers should consider all the legalities involved as it’s not a matter of requesting charity from the government but a simple play of demand and supply and the resultant global implications.

How can crop diversification be encouraged for better agribusinesses?

We can consider the classical example of wheat which is one of the controversial crops and has a surplus production in Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and some parts in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The farmers have been growing this in excess for the last 30 years knowing its low profitability in markets. This is because the commission agents are paid around 4-8 per cent interest by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for procuring wheat and paddy. The farmers can instead grow mustard which is in short supply and can be cultivated under similar climatic conditions as wheat. Its production is far from profitable and hassle-free in terms of less use of water and fertilisers. But crop diversification is completely being overlooked when it is one of the biggest remedies to solve the business woes of agriculture.

To resolve this, the foremost thing is to impart education to farmers to strengthen their business and economies of scale of the country as a whole. Secondly, better coordination between the farmers and the industry is required at large to which no state government is paying any heed. In this respect, the three farm laws were very important for bringing together the farmers and traders to eliminate the role of middlemen and foster better business growth in the long run. Thus, there is a crisis due to complete lack of education and communication wherein farmers need to be particularly taught about the economies of agriculture and not only about the economies of production. These two factors work in tandem with each other and cannot be left in silos.

To read more click on: https://agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine

In an interaction with AgroSpectrum India, Vijay

Agri startups one of key partners to boost agriculture exports

Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State (Agriculture and Farmers Welfare), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India said that soon an accelerator programme of Rs 500 crore will be started to take forward the successful initiatives of Agri Startups in which DARE, DPIIT, Agri Incubators, agriculture universities, research institutes, investors and other stakeholders will be included.

Choudhary said that there will be a separate division of Agriculture Startup to be set up in the Ministry to be led by Joint Secretary. “A cell will also be created to work as a single window agency to facilitate all the linkages required for agri startups,” he added.

Dr Sudhanshu, Secretary, APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, GoI, emphasised that increasing agriculture exports is a national imperative and Agri startups are potential partners in this journey. Efforts are being made to promote and support agri startups for engagement in agri exports and strengthening of the startup ecosystem.

Agri startups one of key partners to

It will ensure sustainability of credit flow in the agriculture sector as well as ensure financial health and viability of the lending institutions.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved to restore Interest Subvention on short term agriculture loans to 1.5 per cent for all financial institutions. Thus, Interest Subvention of 1.5 per cent will be provided to lending institutions (Public Sector Banks, Private Sector Bank, Small Finance Banks, Regional Rural Banks, Cooperative Banks and Computerized PACS directly ceded with commercial banks) for the financial year 2022-23 to 2024-25 for lending short term agri-loans up to Rs 3 lakh to the farmers.

This increase in Interest Subvention support requires additional budgetary provisions of Rs 34,856 crore for the period of 2022-23 to 2024-25 under the scheme.

Increase in Interest Subvention will ensure sustainability of credit flow in the agriculture sector as well as ensure financial health and viability of the lending institutions especially Regional Rural Banks & Cooperative Banks, ensuring adequate agriculture credit in rural economy.

Banks will be able to absorb increase in cost of funds and will be encouraged to grant loans to farmers for short term agriculture requirements and enable more farmers to get the benefit of agriculture credit.  This will also lead to generation of employment since short term agri-loans are provided for all activities including Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Poultry, fisheries.

Farmers will continue to avail short term agriculture credit at interest rate of 4 per cent per annum while repaying the loan in time.

Keeping in view the changing economic scenario, especially increase in the interest rate and lending rates for the financial institutions especially Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks, The Government has reviewed the rate of Interest subvention provided to these Financial Institutions. It is expected that this will ensure adequate credit flow in agriculture sector to the farmer as well as ensure financial health of lending institutions.

To address this challenge, Government of India has proactively decided to restore Interest Subvention on short term agriculture loans to 1.5 per cent for all financial institutions.

It will ensure sustainability of credit flow

 Events will focus on encouraging farmers towards honey farming by ensuring quality production.

To harness the export potential of honey in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘sweet revolution’ through promotion of beekeeping and allied activities, the government has planned to organise a series of events across the country in collaboration with state governments and farmers.

One such event is scheduled to be organised by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, for export promotion of honey involving exporters, stakeholders and government officials in Chandigarh, where focus would be to encourage farmers towards honey farming by ensuring quality production.

Given the manifold rise in honey consumption across the globe especially after the pandemic due to its natural immunity booster characteristics and a healthier alternative to sugar, APEDA is aiming is to boost honey exports through ensuring quality production and market expansion to new countries as at present, India’s natural honey exports are majorly dependent on one market, the United States, that account for more than 80 percent of the exports.

As a part of the government’s AtmaNirbhar Bharat initiative to boost honey production, the government has approved an allocation of Rs 500 crore for the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) for three years (2020-21 to 2022-23).

 Events will focus on encouraging farmers towards

Time limit for the testing process of tractors used for Agriculture will be slashed from nine months to just 75 working days.

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has reduced the time limit for the testing process of tractors used for Agriculture from nine months to just 75 working days. This development comes as a big gift for the agriculture sector during the celebration of the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” on 75th year of India’s Independence.

Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and on the directions of the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, the Ministry / Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has taken this positive initiative in order to promote mechanization in the agriculture sector in the country and to ensure the availability of suitable tractors for the farmers. In order to implement the new, effective and speedy testing process of tractor testing, revised guidelines have been issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to the Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute (CFMTTI), Budni and other concerned officers, which will be effective from 15th August, 2022.

Time limit for the testing process of

To increase income of farmers, Government has increased FRP by more than 34% in past 8 years.

Keeping in view interest of sugarcane farmers (Ganna Kisan), the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for sugar season 2022-23 (October – September) at Rs. 305/qtl for a basic recovery rate of 10.25 per cent, providing a premium of Rs 3.05/qtl for each 0.1 per cent increase in recovery over and above 10.25 per cent, & reduction in FRP by Rs. 3.05/qtl for every 0.1% decrease in recovery. However, the Government with a view to protect interest of sugarcane farmers has also decided that there shall not be any deduction in case of sugar mills where recovery is below 9.5 per cent. Such farmers will get Rs 282.125/qtl for sugarcane in ensuing sugar season 2022-23 in place of Rs. 275.50/qtl in current sugar season 2021-22. FRP of sugarcane is fixed to ensure a guaranteed price to sugarcane growers. Government has increased FRP by more than 34% in past 8 years.

The A2 + FL cost of production of sugarcane (i.e actual paid out cost plus imputed value of family labour) for the sugar season 2022-23 is Rs 162/qtl. This FRP of Rs. 305/qtl at a recovery rate of 10.25 per cent is higher by 88.3 per cent over cost of production, thereby ensuring the promise of giving the farmers a return of more than 50 per cent over their cost. The FRP for sugar season 2022-23 is 2.6 per cent higher than current sugar season 2021-22.

Decision will benefit 5 crore sugarcane farmers (Ganna Kisan) and their dependents, as well as 5 lakh workers employed in the sugar mills and related ancillary activities. 9 years back, FRP was only Rs 210/ qtl in sugar season 2013-14 & only about 2397 LMT of sugarcane was purchased by sugar mills. Farmers were getting only about Rs. 51,000 cr from sale of sugarcane to sugar mills. However, in past 8 years Government has increased FRP by more than 34 per cent. In the current sugar season 2021-22, about 3,530 lakh tons of sugarcane of worth Rs. 1,15,196 crores was purchased by sugar mills, which is at all-time high.

To increase income of farmers, Government has