Farmers and Agriculture Resolution adopted at the 85th Plenary Session of the Indian National Congress on February25-26, 2023 at Raipur, Chattisgarh

Save Agriculture, Save Farmers and Farm Workers

1. India is predominantly an agricultural country with more than half of its population comprising farmers, farm workers and artisans dependent on agricultural income. Out of 14 crore farmer families, 86% are small or marginal farmers owning less than 2 hectares of land. Indian National Congress believes that agriculture is the foundation of the economic and social structure of India. It is not merely a vocation or economic activity but a way of life for a majority of the population. It is about so much more than just land and crops. Therefore, agriculture is not only an economic or political issue, but a social issue.

2. The Indian National Congress is aware of the present agricultural crisis and stands committed to resolving it with a humanitarian and compassionate approach to enhance agricultural production to improve the quality of life of farmers, farm workers, and artisans. That is why the great visionary first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru had emphatically said, “Everything else can wait but not agriculture”. Thereafter, the successive Congress governments transformed a food-deficit country to food-surplus country.

3. Historically, the Congress during the freedom movement spearheaded many farmer and worker agitations like PagdiSambhalJatta, Champaran, Khera, Bardoli and more. Therefore ensuring that the interests of farmers are inextricably integrated into the Congress party’s ideology. The Indian National Congress believes that agriculture reforms and policies should be farmer centric and not just focused on production. We aspire to provide that farmers get at least 50% of what the consumer is paying for the agriculture commodity.

4. The Indian National Congress condemns and expresses grave concern on the economic design of the BJP government’s policies which are consistently anti-farmers. Both agricultural growth and income of farmers has declined. Promises like implementation of the recommendation of Swaminathan Commission, doubling of farmers income and remunerative MSP remain unfulfilled. The budgetary allocation of Pradhan Mantri FasalBimaYojna has been reduced from Rs. 68,000 crore to Rs. 60,000 crore; MGNREGA support from Rs. 73,000 crore to Rs. 60,000 crore; Food, fertilizers and petroleum subsidies from Rs. 5.2 to Rs 3.7 lakh crore. Food subsidy to FCI has been brought down from Rs. 2.14 lakh crore in (RE) to Rs. 1.37 lakh crore, food subsidy under Food Security Act from Rs.72,000 crore (RE) to Rs. 59,793 crore. Similarly, allocations for the Market Intervention Scheme, which compensates farmers in case of unprofitable sales, have been cut from Rs. 1500 crore to Rs. 1 lakh. Pradhan Mantri AnnadataAaySanrakshan Abhiyan (PM- AASHA) has been reduced from Rs. 1 crore to Rs 1 lakh, leaving farmers at the mercy of market and natural forces.

5. Therefore, the Indian National Congress pledges to end the ‘trickle down and crony capitalist’ economic policies of the BJP government by focusing on the following key points:

Introduction of debt relief scheme for indebted farmers

6. The Indian National Congress is deeply concerned with the alarming rise of debt on farmers, as a consequence of which they are committing suicide. During the BJP government’s tenure the total outstanding debt on farmers has grown to Rs. 23.44 lakh crore in 2021-22 which was Rs. 9.6 lakh crore on 31st March 2014. The UPA Government implemented the debt waiver scheme by waiving Rs. 72,000 crore in 2007. The BJP Government completely left it to the states. The Congress governments of Madhya Pradesh in 2018 waived off Rs. 11,912 crore; Rajasthan Government in 2018 waived off Rs. 15,602 crore, Punjab Government in 2017 waived off Rs. 4696 crore, Karnataka government in 2017-18 waived off Rs. 22,548 crore and Chhattisgarh Government waived off Rs. 5961 crore in 2018, thus providing significant relief to our farmers.

7. The Congress resolves that the National Farmer Debt Relief Commission will be set-up to suggest ways and means to resolve debt related grievances of the farmers through conciliation and negotiation as is done in case of Industrial loans.

8. No criminal proceedings will be initiated and no land of the farmers will be auctioned to recover outstanding loans.

9. To provide the one-time immediate relief to farmers from indebtedness, a debt waiver scheme to waive up to Rs 6 lakh each of our farmers will be launched. We aim to take our farmers from the stage of loan waiver to complete freedom from debt. (KARZ MAAFI SE KARZ MUKTI TAK)

Question of MSP- Legal Guarantee

10. The Indian National Congress introduced in the sixties the scheme of Minimum Support Price(MSP) to ensure remunerative prices and timely payment to the farmers. As a result of wrong policies of the BJP government, farmers’ income has steadily declined and led to debt and distress. Moreover, the price volatility and predatory profits of intermediaries, climate change and increased input costs played havoc. Although, the BJP government has announced a committee on MSP in July last year, its terms of references have been diluted to side-step the issue.

11. The Indian National Congress resolves that MSP should be a legally enforceable right of the farmers. Purchase of agricultural produce below MSP be made a punishable offense.

12. MSP should be calculated based on the C-2 cost plus 50% profit as suggested by the Swaminathan Commission and subsequently recommended in the report of the Group of Chief Ministers headed by the CM of Haryana, Shri BS Hooda in 2010.

13. The process of calculating the cost of production needs to be made transparent and farmer organizations should be involved in the process.

14. The MSP regime will be extended to cover all agricultural produce including horticulture and uncovered crops like Ginger, Garlic, Turmeric, Chilli, etc. MSP for minor forest produce, the mainstay of forest dwellers, mainly Scheduled Tribes should be increased at least four times and adequate market infrastructure be created.

Pradhan Mantri FasalBimaYojna

15. The much-touted flagship scheme of the BJP Government to insure farmers’ crops against the unpredictability of nature is neither farmer friendly nor realistic and reasonable in content and design. It has turned out to be a scheme to enrich private insurance companies which earned a profit of Rs. 34,929 crore from 2017-18 to kharif 2021-22. High premium and low benefit under this scheme has led even the BJP state government of Gujarat to pull out from the scheme. The BJP government has reduced the allocation for this scheme from Rs. 15,000 crore to Rs. 13,625 crore this year.

16. We resolve to redesign and revise the scheme to rectify all the deficiencies and make the insurance universal i.e the entire area under cultivation would be insured.

17. The scheme will be operated by public sector companies like - Insurance Company of India, which will charge a premium on the principle of ‘no profit - no loss’. A revolving fund will be created for the insurance companies to compensate for their loss.

18. The insurance premiums being deducted by the government from the accounts of loan farmers will be immediately stopped.

19. Assessment of crop losses will be carried out by the government and not by insurance companies to ensure adequate and timely payment of compensation and to protect the interests of landless agricultural farmers, a policy will be made to give some part of the compensation to them.

Doubling of Farmers’ Income

20. The Indian National Congress underlines with concern that the BJP government has failed to deliver on its promises of doubling farmers income by 2022. Data indicates that in real terms, the income from agriculture is going down by 1.5% per annum and farmers are dependent on wage income to support their families.

21. In Haryana, potato was sold between 50 paise to Rs 1.25 per Kg. when the cost of production was around Rs. 6-7 per Kg. Likewise, the farmers in Telangana, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh had to resort to distress sale of Garlic, Onion, Cauliflower, Brinjal and Tomatoes respectively.

22. The allocation of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna which provides Rs. 500 per month to farmers has been reduced from Rs. 68,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore. The number of beneficiaries in 11th period (April-July, 22) were 10.45 crore which has come down to 8.42 crore in 12th period (Aug-Nov, 22) with a decline of 22.6%.

23. The Indian National Congress resolves to increase farmers and farm worker’s income by ensuring that MSP is increased to 50% profits over C2 costs.

24. A Commission on Agriculture Development and Farmers Income consisting of farmers, agricultural economists, scientists will be set-up to advise how to make agriculture a remunerative occupation. This Commission will subsume the existing CACP.

25. One percent of the agricultural GDP shall be spent on research and development in the agricultural sector for increasing production.

26. To ensure direct investment support of Rs 10,000 per acre to all farmers owning up to 5 acres of land and encourage and incentivise dairying, piggery, poultry, fishery, sericulture and other sources to augment the income of the farmers.

Welfare of the Farmers and Farm workers

27. The Indian National Congress recognizes human dignity of farmers, farm workers, rural artisans independent of agricultural productivity. We believe that an educated, healthy and happy farmer can contribute more not only to farm productivity but in all aspects of rural development.

28. The Congress resolves to establish Kisan Model School on the pattern of Navodaya Vidyalaya Schools to provide quality education to the children of farmers & farm workers.

29. To ensure priority and primacy to issues related to agriculture & farmers, we will present a special and separate Krishi Budget and create a Rashtriya Kisan Kalyan Kosh.

30. To provide identity cards to farmers, farm workers and tenant farmers for availing benefits of welfare schemes like education and health services etc. and consider introducing a separate pension scheme for the farmers and farm workers.

31. Introduce the National Farmers Protection and Rights Act in line with the Consumer Protection Act to ensure that the rights of the farmers are protected from exploitation by spurious seed, fertilizers and pesticide industry, market intermediaries, moneylenders etc.

32. Human-Animal conflict has become a life-threatening problem for farming communities. We will take steps to protect the crops and lives of farmers from both stray and wild animals. One successful example of tackling the stray cattle menace is the policy of the Congress government in Chhattisgarh.

Right to Appropriate Compensation and Transparency in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Restoration Act, 2013

33. The above act, commonly known as the Land Acquisition Act, was brought in to protect the livelihood of small and marginal farmers and stop the acquisition of irrigated and multi-cropped land. Under this law, land can be acquired only after assessment of its social impact and assent of 70% of the farmers and only if the acquisition of land is necessary for a project which serves a public purpose.

34. Many BJP state governments are destroying its soul through amendments by ignoring the interests of farmers only to benefit the private sector. The Indian National Congress takes a pledge to restore the spirit of the original law implemented by the UPA government in 2013.

Warehouses / storage facilities

35. The Congress resolves to prepare a sufficient infrastructure of warehouses/cold storage for all types of crops to provide proper and beneficial prices of their produce, especially perishable agricultural produce, to farmers.

Life Insurance and Health Insurance for Farmers

36. The Indian National Congress resolves to provide life insurance and health insurance of up to ¹ 10 lakh to small and marginal farmers and agricultural labourers at a minor premium. NYAY- Direct Transfer of Benefit

37. The Indian National Congress believes that every Indian should be a part of India’s growth story and those at the bottom of the pyramid need the most support to avail the mandatory minimums of life. It seems imperative and more important in the present scenario where rural consumption is declining and the bottom quarter of the population is being pushed to the margins. Income disparity is increasing. Tax breaks are given to the richest income groups. Government has cut budgetary support to MGNREGA, PM- Kisan, PM- FasalBimaYojna. The Government has also brought down food, fertilisers, and petroleum subsidies. Lower rural consumption leads to stress and suicide. Under such precarious economic conditions, the Indian National Congress believes that landless, small and marginal farmers, and rural poor need immediate financial support and the NYAY scheme needs to be implemented to ensure the poorest quintile of the population has access to the basic level of consumption.

38. The Congress Government in Chhattisgarh launched Rajiv Gandhi NYAY Scheme, which has supplemented the income up to Rs. 10,000 per acre. The Indian National Congress resolves to extend the Rajiv Gandhi NYAY Scheme to all farmers across the country.

Water Resource Management - Irrigation Projects

39. The Indian National Congress underlines that almost half of the cultivable land is currently not under irrigation, and that a large quantity of water is not being utilized due to poor or inadequate water management.

40. The Indian National Congress resolves to formulate a comprehensive National Irrigation Policy to integrate inter-state water resources and also solve the inter-state water disputes that are causing a hindrance in the completion of many irrigation projects.

41. Indian National Congress also resolves to ensure that every farmer in the country is able to maximise agricultural output by having access to minor irrigation, solar pump, drip irrigation system etc. We will also draw comprehensive plans for recharging depleting ground water resources.

MGNREGA- Rural Poverty & Employment

42. The Indian National Congress expresses concern over the decreasing budgetary allocation by 25% from Rs. 98,000 crore to Rs. 73,000 crore for this poverty alleviation programme. MGNREGA has revolutionized the rural economy and reduced distress migration to urban areas. Gunar Myrdal, the famous economist had said “most of India’s troubling issues can be addressed if it sticks to the path Gandhi had forged”.

43. The Congress also resolves to expand and redesign MGNREGA and provide for increasing the wages and guaranteed days of employment and link the scheme with agricultural activities like minor irrigation, restoring of water bodies, reclamation of waste land. The scheme would also cover building of village level assets such as primary health centres, classrooms, libraries etc.

Electricity Act

44. The farmers in this country are deeply apprehensive of the Union Government’s intent over the proposed amendments in the Electricity Act 2003 which is proposing to replace direct subsidy with a DBT model. After the Amendment, the farmers will be made to pay for the electricity bills at commercial rates and wait endlessly for the subsidies to reach their accounts. The State Government will not be able to provide electricity to farmers free or at concessional rates. The Indian National Congress Pledges to draw up a plan for providing alternative energy to farmers like solar pumps etc.

45. The Indian National Congress shall withdraw the amendment made by the BJP government

Marketing of Farm Produce

46. The Indian National Congress recognises the need of strengthening & expanding the market infrastructure for agricultural produce to enable the farmers to avail the benefit of MSP. Marketing of agricultural produce is as important as its production. Against the requirement of 42,000 mandis, only 7600 exist at present.

47. Although, the Union Govt. has withdrawn the three Agriculture Laws, by allowing the constitution of Farmers Producers’ Organizations (FPO) under Companies Act is bringing the corporates in the agriculture sector through the backdoor. The Govt. is also talking of strengthening the primary cooperative societies. The disadvantaged cooperatives are thus subjected to uneven competition with the mighty Corporate sector.

48. The Indian National Congress resolves that the FPOs will be registered under Cooperative Societies Act and complete autonomy will be given to the cooperative societies as well as FPOs to help the rural youth to get self-employment in the villages.

Diversification of Crops

49. The Indian national Congress resolves to work towards converting the green revolution into an evergreen revolution. To achieve this, there is a need for diversification of crops through incentivisation and mechanization of agriculture. In the areas under water guzzling crops like rice and wheat, the farmers are given adequate incentive to shift to crops like cotton, maize, soyabeans, lentils, oilseeds and other cash crops. The government should ensure procurement and remunerative prices of such produce that will increase the income of the farmers. This will improve the nutritional value of food and save the depleting water resources. Mechanization would reduce input cost, increase productivity and save time and effort of the farmers. Educated youth will not shy away from agriculture which will provide them gainful employment.

Agri-Value System

50. State-of-the-art storage infrastructure needs to be created and upscaled exponentially to ensure efficient management and marketing of farm produce to prevent post-harvest losses and to create wealth from waste. The Indian National Congress recognises the need to transit from production led agriculture (farm to fork model) to market driven agriculture i.e ‘fork to farm’ so as to effectively connect the consumer and the farmer directly.

51. Congress resolves to create agro-Industrial hubs as per the agro-climatic/economic zones and reserve certain primary industrial activity for the farmers, farm workers and artisans for value addition of their agri-produce.

52. We need to ensure farmers get a larger share of value generated income following the Amul model where farmers get up to 70-80% of every rupee consumers spend on milk. This model can be extended/replicated for agricultural produce as well. The Indian National Congress will, through policy interventions, create a mechanism of economic design which may provide at least 50% of the consumer price to farmers.

Agri Exports & Imports

53. India is both a large exporter and importer of agricultural commodities. With the increase in exports, the farmers get better prices and at the same time imports adversely affect their income. The confusion and lack of co-ordination between concerned Ministries in the Exim policy is financially harming the farmers. The ongoing ban on export of wheat has hit the farm incomes. The agri trade surplus of $27.72 Billion in 2013-14 has come down to a lower surplus of $17.85 Billion in 2021-22.

54. Protecting the interest of farmers will be the only key guiding principle in Agri-Exim Policy in bilateral Free Trade Agreements in dairying, marine products etc. and a committee of farmers will be formed to give suggestions and monitor the export-import in agricultural produce.

Institutional Credit & Public Investment

55. Providing farmers with access to institutional credit has been an article of faith for the Indian National Congress which nationalised banks in 1969 to ensure that the benefits of the formal banking system reached every farmer in the country. This led to the Green Revolution in cereal production, white revolution in milk production, Gene Revolution in cotton production and Blue revolution in fisheries.

56. We resolve to introduce institutional credit reforms to ensure that tenant farmers, sharecroppers, landless labourers have access to formal credit through public and private sector banks. The long-term credit will be given at an interest rate not exceeding 4% and zero interest on crop loans to all farmers.

57. Tractors, threshers or heavy agriculture implements should be fairly priced, and should be mortgaged against the loan to the farmers and not their land as in case of car loans etc. Livestock, Dairying, Horticulture (Green, White & Blue Revolution)

58. The scope of agriculture needs to be expanded as landholding of farmers is dwindling with each generation. We can however enhance farmer’s income by promoting dairying, piggery, poultry, fishery, sericulture, sheep, goat rearing and such other activities as per the agro-climatic conditions of different regions of the country. Our policy would be directed to ensuring that farmer’s make 80% of their earnings from agriculture, animal husbandry and allied activities. Fisheries will be one of the key focus areas for the Indian National Congress. The sector contributes 1.07% of the GDP and about 3 crore Indians are engaged in the sector. The Indian National Congress believes that the traditional fishermen communities across the country have the first right over our marine resources as this is central to their livelihood. We would resist any attempts to corporatise the sector.

59. We shall constitute a Commission on Marginal Farmers and Agriculture Labourers to advise on policies and programmes that will help them to increase their income through dairying, poultry and other similar activities.

Issue of Subsidies & Input Costs

60. We note with concern that input prices have risen considerably, almost wiping out profits for the farmers. The price of Diesel was Rs. 46.12/Ltr on August 1, 2015 but this stood at Rs. 89.62 on Feb 17, 2023. The price of Diesel has gone up 34% even though the price of the Indian Crude Basket has come down by 24% during this period. The cost of a bag of DAP has been raised by Rs. 150 while the increase in NPKS has been Rs. 110 per bag. There is a GST of 12% on fertilisers, 16% on pesticides and 10% on irrigation, while the composite price Index is 20% but the MSP of common Paddy went up from Rs. 1815 in 2019-20 to Rs. 2040 in 2022-23, a jump of 12% only. The Indian National Congress resolves to reduce input costs for farmers and provide all possible support to ensure that no additional burden is put on them.

The Plight of Rubber Farmers

61. India is the fourth largest producer of rubber in the world and the Rubber Act, 1947 played a big part in the spread of rubber cultivation in the country by protecting rubber farmers as the government had to consult the Rubber Board on important matters. The Indian National Congress will oppose the new legislation attempting to corporatise this sector and resolve to declare an MSP of Rs. 250 per Kg for rubber.

Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture

62. Last year, due to climate change, the northern and central parts of the country had the hottest March-April in the past 122 years. This reduced yield of harvested crops up to 25% and destroyed the crops of Mangoes & Citrus fruits. Agricultural scientists reveal that the average rise in temperature during the last 100 years was 0.75 Degrees Celsius, this could be 1.5 to 4.5 Degrees Celsius in the next 100 years. This would adversely affect the crops pattern, human life and ecosystem. Climate change is also being aggravated by indiscriminate use of chemical inputs. The Indian National Congress will formulate a holistic climate resilient agricultural policy to make agriculture sustainable and productive through increasing innovations, adaptation, research, reducing green-house emissions, crop land management, agri-forestry livestock, organic farming and preserving soil health.

Conclusion

63. The Indian National Congress is cognizant that with ever-decreasing average landholdings, agriculture may not be sustainable for a large part of the next generation of those in farmer families. Therefore, we resolve to prepare a future-ready plan to create human development infrastructure and employment opportunities beyond agriculture in rural areas. The Congress also resolves to place the agrarian crisis, unemployment, poverty and uncontrolled inflation at the centre of national political discourse.

IV. SUBGROUP - FARMERS & AGRICULTURE

Chairman - Shri Bhupinder Singh Hooda Convenor - Dr. N. Raghuveera Reddy

Members: 1. Shri Shaktisinh Gohil, MP 2. Shri Nana Patole 3. Shri Akhilesh Prasad Singh 4. Shri Pratap Singh Bajwa 5. Shri Ajeet Sharma 6. Shri M.M. Hasan 7. Shri Arun Yadav 8. Smt. Geeta Koda 9. Shri T.N. Prathapan 10. Shri Ajay Rai 11. Shri Sukhpal Singh Khaira 12. Dr. Col. Dhani Ram Shandil 13. Shri Pradeep Yadav 14. Shri Vinay Kumar Sorake