Centre working on a special strategy for Maharashtra farmers: Radha Mohan Singh

Interview with Agriculture Minister

Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh says that despite the delay in the monsoon, the area under kharif cultivation was just 2.4 per cent less than last year's because of the government's contingency plans in 500-odd districts. He tells Sanjeeb Mukherjee there will not be any fall in acreage or production of the rabi crop. Edited excerpts:

According to the latest government estimate, production of kharif crops is expected to be lower than last year, particularly of oilseeds and pulses. How does the government plan to recoup those losses?

We have already started preparations for getting satisfactory production during the rabi season. We have held a two-day meeting with all top state officials on rabi sowing and elaborate plans. At the conclusion of the meeting, I can say with confidence that there will not be any loss of acreage in the rabi season, any fall in production. The monsoon in 2014 did not start on a good note and was delayed in several parts. Despite all this, in the final analysis, the acreage is 2.4 per cent less than last year because we had made contingency plans for almost 500 districts.

Now that your party is set to form the government in Maharashtra, what special plans do you have for the state?

According to our analysis, farmer suicides have been the highest in Maharashtra in the last decade. We have also found out that in 2013-14, around Rs 800 crore sanctioned by the Centre for development of agriculture has not been spent by the state government. Similarly, of the Rs 5,000 crore allocated for development of livestock, fisheries and dairy, around Rs 3,000 crore has not been spent. The new government in the state will be sympathetic to the interests of farmers. I am visiting the state next month and will hold a meeting with officials to work out a special strategy for farmers of the state, especially in Vidarbha.

Your party in its manifesto had promised to fix a minimum support price (MSP) that would ensure 50 per cent profit to farmers. How far has this progressed?

We are working on it and will soon implement it.

The party had also promised to introduce an insurance scheme that would protect the income of farmers.

Work has started on that. There are many crop insurance schemes run by state governments. To review all of them, we had called a meeting of senior officials from the states and I have also personally written to all chief ministers inviting their suggestions. Some have not replied, following which I again wrote to them a few days ago. We have also organised a workshop of stakeholders to understand their views on such a scheme. The Centre will come out with a new scheme that will protect the income of farmers by the end of the current financial year.