Agriculture & Food Management

Model Answer

Introduction

The Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) was launched in 2008 with the goal of improving transparency and efficiency in land record management. By digitizing land records, it aims to reduce land disputes, curb corruption, and provide easier access to information. However, while it has several benefits, there are also challenges that hinder its effectiveness, especially in protecting farmers’ rights.

Benefits of DILRMP in Protecting Farmers’ Rights

1. Promoting Transparency

• Centralized Database: The digitization of land records creates a centralized and easily accessible database that reduces discrepancies and errors in land ownership.
  • Example: Farmers can easily verify their land holdings online, preventing fraudulent practices.
• Up-to-date Information: With digital records, land ownership, transactions, and boundaries are maintained in real-time, ensuring transparency in land administration.

2. Reducing Corruption

• Automation of Processes: By digitizing land records, the need for human intervention is reduced, curbing opportunities for corruption and manipulation.
  • Example: Tamper-proof records and audit trails make it difficult for officials or private parties to manipulate land ownership documents for personal gain.

3. Access to Credit and Investments

• Land as Collateral: Farmers can use their digitized land records as proof of ownership, facilitating access to loans and financial services from banks and other institutions.
  • Example: Banks can quickly verify ownership, making it easier for farmers to secure agricultural loans, which boosts rural development.

4. Dispute Resolution

• Faster Dispute Resolution: Digital records provide swift access to land ownership details, which speeds up the resolution of disputes. This can ease the burden on courts.
  • Fact: A NITI Aayog report noted that land disputes in India take an average of 20 years to resolve. Digitized records can reduce this time significantly.

5. Disaster Management and Preservation

• Protection Against Physical Damage: Digitized records are stored safely in electronic formats, protecting them from damage due to natural disasters or accidents.
  • Example: If physical records are lost in a flood or fire, the digital copies ensure the data is not permanently lost.

Challenges of DILRMP

1. Lack of Manpower

• Many regions lack the skilled workforce necessary to regularly update land records, leading to outdated or incomplete data.

2. Structural Issues in Land Titles

• Registered Sale Deeds, Not Land Titles: In India, land ownership is often not based on clear titles, but rather a series of sale deeds. These documents are kept by different departments, making it cumbersome for farmers to access complete records.
• High Registration Costs: The high cost of registering land discourages many farmers from officially documenting their transactions.

3. Slow Progress

• Despite years of implementation, many states and Union Territories still do not offer real-time, same-day updates of land records after a sale or transaction is completed. This delays benefits for farmers.

4. Weak Linkages Between Departments

• There is a disconnection between the revenue and survey departments, leading to inconsistencies between textual records and spatial (mapped) records. These inconsistencies often lead to boundary disputes and confusion.

Measures to Enhance the Effectiveness of DILRMP

1. Legislative Reforms

• Update Outdated Laws: The document registration process is still governed by the Registration Act of 1908. This colonial-era law needs to be updated to modernize land transaction processes.
  • Example: Make it mandatory to register all land transactions, including those involving government acquisition or short-term leases.

2. Promoting a Uniform Approach

• There is no uniform system for land record digitization across India. The government should encourage all states to adopt a standardized approach, ensuring consistency in records nationwide.

3. Identity Authentication and Security

• Introduce provisions that set standards for identity verification, record security, and storage to safeguard the integrity of digital land records.

4. Addressing the Digital Divide

• Many rural areas still face challenges with internet access and digital literacy. The government should develop a transition plan that includes infrastructure improvements and training programs.
  • Example: Set a cut-off date by which state registration offices must be equipped for remote, online registration of land documents.

5. Stronger Linkages Between Departments

• Improve coordination between revenue and survey departments to ensure that textual and spatial records are aligned. This will reduce legal conflicts related to boundary definitions and land areas.

Model Answer

Introduction

Millets, once considered a “coarse” grain, are now being recognized for their exceptional nutritional value and environmental benefits. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, largely due to India’s advocacy. However, despite their potential, the area under millet cultivation in India is declining. This answer explores the economic, social, and environmental advantages of expanding millet cultivation, the factors limiting its adoption, and the measures needed to address these challenges.

Economic Benefits

• Diversified Income:
  Millets provide an additional source of income for farmers, reducing dependence on single crops like rice and wheat. This diversification can help stabilize income, especially for small-scale farmers.
• Lower Input Costs:
  Millets are hardy and require less water, fertilizers, and pesticides, making them cheaper to grow. This leads to lower production costs and higher profitability, especially for farmers in water-scarce regions.
• Price Stability:
  Millets are less vulnerable to price fluctuations than other major crops. This provides farmers with more stable returns and shields them from the volatility in rice and wheat markets.

Social Benefits

• Nutritional Security:
  Millets are rich in dietary fiber, micronutrients, and antioxidants. They help combat malnutrition and improve dietary diversity, particularly among vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women.
• Preservation of Traditional Knowledge:
  By promoting millet cultivation, we help preserve traditional farming practices, which are integral to rural identities and cultural heritage. It fosters community ties and a sense of pride in local agricultural practices.

Environmental Benefits

• Water Efficiency:
  Millets are drought-resistant crops that require significantly less water than rice and wheat. This makes them ideal for cultivation in water-scarce areas and helps conserve water resources.
• Biodiversity:
  Growing millets promotes biodiversity by reducing the monoculture of staple crops. It also helps prevent pest outbreaks, as diverse crops attract different pollinators and maintain ecosystem balance.
• Soil Health:
  Minimal use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in millet cultivation improves soil health over time, reducing environmental degradation and enhancing long-term sustainability.

Factors Contributing to Limited Adoption

• Competition from Rice and Wheat:
  Rice and wheat dominate the Indian agricultural landscape, both in terms of consumption and market preference. These crops are subsidized and supported, making it difficult for millets to compete.
• Lack of Quality Seeds:
  There is a shortage of high-quality, certified seeds for different varieties of millet. This limits farmers’ access to improved, high-yielding varieties that could increase productivity.
• Inadequate Research and Development:
  Compared to rice and wheat, millet has received relatively less attention in research and development. This hampers the creation of better millet varieties and farming practices.
• Market Linkages and Infrastructure Gaps:
  Limited access to markets, storage facilities, and processing units makes it difficult for millet farmers to get fair prices for their produce. This discourages farmers from investing in millet cultivation.
• Shifting Dietary Preferences:
  Changing consumer preferences and increasing urbanization have led to a decline in millet consumption, reducing demand and production.
• Low Productivity:
  Compared to rice and wheat, millets have lower yields, making them less economically viable for large-scale commercial farming.

Measures to Address the Challenges

• Research and Development:
  Focus on developing high-yield millet varieties that are resistant to pests and climate stress. Investments in sustainable millet cultivation techniques are crucial for scaling up production.
• Awareness Campaigns:
  Government and non-governmental organizations should raise awareness about the nutritional and environmental benefits of millets through media, festivals, and local events. This can help boost millet consumption and support for its cultivation.
• Promote Sustainable Practices:
  Encourage farmers to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices that support millet cultivation. This includes soil conservation techniques, water-efficient irrigation methods, and the use of traditional millet varieties.
• Strengthen the Millet Value Chain:
  Build better market linkages, improve post-harvest management, and create value-added products from millets. This will increase the income potential for farmers and create jobs in the millet processing industry.
• Cultural Revival:
  Organize millet-themed festivals, cooking competitions, and workshops to reconnect people with traditional foods and foster a cultural revival of millet consumption.
• Price Support:
  Introducing Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for millets can ensure that farmers are fairly compensated for their crops, making millet cultivation more attractive economically.

Model Answer

Introduction

The Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a policy tool introduced in India to ensure farmers receive a fair price for their crops, irrespective of market fluctuations. Announced by the government before each sowing season, MSP serves as a price floor to prevent distress sales and support farmers’ income. However, the current status of MSP and the ongoing debate about its legal backing raise questions about its effectiveness and reach.

Current Status of MSP in India

• MSP Coverage: Currently, MSP is announced for 22 crops, including staple grains like wheat and rice, pulses, oilseeds, and some commercial crops. However, procurement is mainly focused on wheat and rice, while other crops see limited purchases.
• Limited Beneficiaries: Although MSP is a national policy, only a small fraction of farmers, mainly those in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh, benefit from it. This is because procurement centers and infrastructure are more concentrated in these regions, making it difficult for farmers in other states to access MSP.
  • Example: In the 2021-22 procurement season, around 42% of wheat farmers in Punjab sold their produce at MSP, compared to only 5-6% in states like Bihar and Odisha.
• Dependence on Procurement Agencies: MSP functions well where procurement agencies actively purchase crops. In many regions, farmers still rely on local traders, who may not offer MSP rates.
• Price Stability: MSP has helped maintain price stability for key staples like wheat and rice, thus providing some income assurance to farmers. However, the lack of MSP implementation for other crops leaves many farmers vulnerable to price volatility.

Role of MSP in Securing Farmers’ Income

• Income Assurance: MSP gives farmers a guaranteed price, which cushions them against market price drops. For crops like wheat and rice, the MSP system has largely contributed to income stability for farmers.
  • Illustration: A farmer in Haryana, growing wheat, can confidently sell his crop to a government procurement center at the MSP of ₹2,125 per quintal (as per the 2023-24 season), even if the market price falls to ₹1,800 per quintal.
• Market Intervention: During times of bumper harvests or low market prices, MSP acts as a safeguard against farmers having to sell their produce at a loss.
  • Example: In 2020, despite a significant drop in market prices due to the COVID-19 lockdown, government procurement under MSP prevented large-scale distress sales of wheat and rice.
• Encouraging Production: MSP has incentivized the production of certain crops, particularly wheat and rice, contributing to food security through the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Challenges with MSP

• Limited Reach: MSP benefits a small portion of farmers. Most small and marginal farmers, tenant farmers, and those growing non-MSP crops remain excluded.
• Over-reliance on Wheat and Rice: The focus on wheat and rice has led to skewed cropping patterns, reducing the cultivation of pulses, oilseeds, and coarse grains, which are crucial for crop diversification and soil health.
• Fiscal Strain: Large-scale procurement at MSP, especially for wheat and rice, strains the government’s fiscal resources and has led to excess stockpiling.

Does Legal Backing for MSP Guarantee Financial Sustainability

While legal backing for MSP is a popular demand, it alone may not guarantee financial sustainability for all farmers. There are several reasons why:

• Structural Issues: Legal backing might ensure that farmers are entitled to MSP, but without adequate procurement infrastructure, particularly in remote and underdeveloped areas, many farmers will still struggle to sell at the MSP.
  • Illustration: Even if MSP is legally mandated, a farmer in Bihar growing pulses may find it difficult to sell his produce at the MSP due to the lack of procurement centers or storage facilities nearby.
• Diverse Crops and Regional Differences: Not all crops are covered under MSP, and giving MSP legal status may not address the diverse challenges faced by farmers growing horticultural crops, fruits, and vegetables.
• Market Reforms Needed: Legal MSP alone does not address the need for broader agricultural market reforms, such as better market access, improved storage, and processing facilities, and more efficient supply chains.
  • Example: Without better market linkages and storage facilities, farmers selling perishables like onions or tomatoes could still face significant losses, regardless of MSP.
• Investment in Infrastructure: A legal MSP may not be effective without investment in rural infrastructure, including roads, cold storage, and better access to markets.

Way Forward

• Diversification of Procurement: Expanding MSP to other crops and regions, along with setting up procurement centers in less developed areas, can enhance its effectiveness.
• Strengthening Market Infrastructure: Alongside legal backing for MSP, there should be a focus on improving market infrastructure, warehousing, and transportation to ensure farmers can access the benefits of MSP.
• Agri-reforms: MSP needs to be complemented by reforms in agricultural marketing, including the promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and the introduction of digital trading platforms like e-NAM.
• Income Support Schemes: Combining MSP with direct income support schemes like PM-KISAN and crop insurance can provide a more comprehensive safety net for farmers