SC advises government to help farmers switch from rice to pulses

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday recommended a major reset in farm policy, asking the federal government to deliberate with domain experts and stakeholders to come up with an incentive framework to encourage farmers to switch from traditional wheat and rice crops to pulses. During a PIL hearing questioning the wisdom of the government in importing yellow peas initially without imposing 30% customs duty, Solicitor General N Venkataraman told the CJI bench of Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi that there is a shortage of 30 lakh tonnes of pulses between 2021 and 2024, forcing the government to import yellow peas to stabilize prices and safeguard consumer interests. CJI Kant, who comes from a farming family, said the government has provided minimum support price (MSP) for wheat, rice and millets but not for pulses. CJI Kant “Once farmers are ensured remunerative MSP for pulses (pulses yield in a particular area is less than rice or wheat in the same area), the production will automatically increase. Otherwise, small farmers will not take the risk of growing pulses as they are not sure whether it will bring investment and labor costs,” he said. “Please ask your agriculture ministry to consult those who know the pulse of farmers and not foreign degree holders,” he said, adding that not only the price of pulses must be guaranteed in the policy, but also guaranteed selling places for pulses grown by farmers must be provided to encourage increased cultivation of pulses. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, said the CJI’s views were reflected verbatim in the recent report of the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). The Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices, a statutory body under the Ministry of Agriculture, has recommended MSP for 22 crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane. “There needs to be better coordination and understanding between different departments of the Union government and establishment of a mechanism under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to promote pulses as a substitute for wheat or rice in north and central India and pulses as a substitute for some other crops in south India,” the bench said in the order. “In the absence of incentivized MSP for pulses, the price offered should be sufficient to meet the expenses of cultivating pulses by small farmers,” the SC bench added.