Compare Manifestos: Agriculture

Sources
Congress Manifesto:
BJP Manifesto:
Lok Satta Manifesto

Congress 1. Public investment in agriculture and infrastructure, which has increased appreciably over the past five years, will be stepped up further 2.It has brought comfort and hope to crores of our farmers and their families by (i) increasing the MSP and procurement prices; (ii) by waiving loans to the tune of Rs 65,000 crore; (iii) by increasing threefold credit from banks and reducing interest rates on crop loans; and (iv) by extending irrigation facilities. 3. Setup a National Farmers Commission 4. We will expand schemes for improving well-being of farmers and their families 5. Every small and marginal farmer in the country will have access to bank credit at lower rates of interest. While the massive loan waiver scheme has already been implemented and 3.68 crore farmer-families have benefited from it, the Indian National Congress now pledges to extend interest relief to all farmers who repay bank loans on schedule. To ensure that farming becomes a profitable occupation. 1.Programmes for agricultural diversification, agriprocessing and rural industrialization will be pursued systematically. Dairying, aquaculture, fisheries, horticulture and sericulture will receive an additional boost. 2.The special needs of crops like tea, coffee, rubber, spices, cashew and coconut will be met. 3.A renewed emphasis will be placed on wasteland development and afforestation. 4.The Indian National Congress will implement comprehensive crop insurance schemes and will also examine the feasibility of direct income support to farmers in the ecologically vulnerable regions of the country. 5.Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procurement will be ensured at the doorsteps of farmers. 6.All controls on the free movement of farm commodities and processing of agricultural products and all regulations that depress incomes of farmers will be systematically eliminated 7.To ensuring that farmers get, at a very minimum, market rates for the land that is acquired for industrial projects. 8.To given farmers an option to become stakeholders in such industrial ventures. As a matter of priority, the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2007, will be taken up for passage in the 15th Lok Sabha. 9.The Land Acquisition Act, 1894 will also be amended to ensure that the interests of land-owners are more than adequately protected

BJP To make India’s farmer debt-free, the BJP will: 1. Waive agricultural loans. 2. Set up a commission to study the entire gamut of farmers’ loans and come up with an actionable solution to the deepening crisis within six months. 3. Set a maximum ceiling of 4 per cent interest for agricultural loans to farmers from banks. 4. Introduce a pension scheme for aged and helpless farmers. 5. Make agriculture profitable by reducing the cost of inputs, enhancing yields and reviewing the present method of determining prices. 6. Implement a Farm Income Insurance Scheme through which both price and produce will be insured. In the event of loss of crops, farmers will be compensated under this scheme so that they do not suffer any loss of income. 7. Promote nature-friendly cultivation and incentivise organic farming to arrest soil quality depletion. Special marketing assistance for organic produce. 8. Introduce value addition schemes to reduce wastage and invest in food-processing units which will generate jobs for rural youth. 9. Create irrigation facilities for an additional 35 million hectares of land in five years: This will generate rural jobs as well as benefit farmers. Drip irrigation will be promoted along with better water management and use of check dams. 10. Ensure quality power, seeds and other inputs. 11. Heavily invest funds in agriculture to reverse the trend set by the Congress-led UPA and make the farm sector an equal engine of growth along with industry and the services sector. 12. Strengthen National Rural Bank and allied services. 13. Promote horticulture, floriculture, pisciculture and poultry for generating additional jobs and supplementing incomes. 14. Create additional grazing land and encourage the maintenance of ponds and water bodies. GM Seeds No genetically modified seed will be allowed for cultivation without full scientific data on long-term effects on soil, production and biological impact on consumers. All food and food products produced with genetically modified seeds will be branded as ‘GM Food’. LAND ACQUISITION FOR INFRASTRUCTURE FARMERS INTERESTS WILL BE PROTECTED The BJP will adopt a National Land Use Policy which will protect the interests of farmers. Its implementation will be monitored by a National Land Use Authority which will work with State Land Use Authorities to regulate and facilitate land management. The powers and functions of the National Land Use Authority will be similar to those of other regulatory bodies. The BJP will bring about amendments to existing laws to rectify anomalies pertaining to land acquisition. Farmers will be compensated at market rates for any land acquired for infrastructure purposes. The BJP will not allow the conversion of fertile farmland for industrial/commercial projects or Special Economic Zones. The entire issue of Special Economic Zones and acquisition of land for industrial use will be addressed after a careful scrutiny of the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s report and factoring in the need to protect the farm sector and enhance food production. International Trade Agreements The BJP shall fight against the protectionist trend which is emerging in some developed countries. We will safeguard the country’s interests in all bilateral and multilateral trade agreements by avoiding to accept any new unilateral or less than reciprocal commitments. Our Governmentwill renegotiate all such past commitments that are inconsistent with national interests, especially to ensure food security and affordable health care. We will not hesitate to roll back any concessions and facilities not reciprocated by the counterparts. The BJP will safeguard the interests of our vast technical manpower and ensure maximum market access in future agreements depending upon the offers made by the trade partners. Retail Trade The BJP understands the critical importance of retail trade in the context of employment and services provided by them, and thus favours a dominant role for the unincorporated sector in retail trade. Towards this end, it will not allow foreign investment in the retail sector. After agriculture, the retail sector is the largest employer of nearly four crore people. We will: 1. Adopt all necessary measures to safeguard the interests of small and tiny retail vendors. 2. Ensure availability of working capital needs for such vendors through credit at not more than four per cent interest. 3. Study the feasibility of a slab-based ‘Compound Tax’ for traders to free them from needless harassment and end corruption. 4. Set up an empowered committee to recommend welfare measures, including a pension scheme, for small traders.

Lok Satta Quality Power Supply to Farmers 1.Agricultural transformers will be separated, and power with stable voltage and will be guaranteed; farmers will be compensated by the Lok Satta Government for motors burnt on account of voltage fluctuations. 2.Villages will be guaranteed 24hour power supply through decentralized distribution. 3.Additional funds will be granted to enhance the quality of power distribution. AgriClinics Prosperity to Farmers (‘Rytusiri’) 1.Lok Satta government will guarantee the establishment of ‘Rytusiri’ agriclinics. 2·Farmers can access various services at the AgriClinics such as: a) Quality seeds, pesticides, agricultural instruments at affordable prices. b) Provision to sell all agricultural produce at profitable price. c) Farmers can access the agriclinic round the clock for advice and services. d) Latest market information. e) Free Soil Testing. f) Free veterinary services. g) One fully computerized agriclinic will be established for every 3,000 acres. 3· All agricultural equipment and implements will be made fully taxexempt. Farmers can purchase all agricultural equipment at factory prices. 4.Agriclinics will facilitate collective selling of farmers’ produce to retail chains and super markets at profitable rates. ‘Akshaya’ – Credit to Farmers and Tenants 1.Lok Satta government will guarantee Akshaya Cards to all farmers for accessing credit depending on his/her land holdings and other properties. Depending on family and agricultural requirements credit will be extended on overdraft basis. 2· Every Farmer will have an account in cooperative and commercial banks. 3· All farmers will get direct access to loans, and usurious lending practices will be prohibited. 4. Special arrangement for farmers to access credit. Farmer Controlled Market Yards (‘Rythe Raju’) 1· Lok Satta government will guarantee the democratization of market committees. Elected Farmer’s Committee will manage market yards. Lok Satta Government guarantees corruptionfree market yards. 2· Facilities to ensure direct selling at the Market Yards. Integration with retail chains, information on global markets and opportunities to export will be provided at the market yards. 3 Market Yards will have storage facilities and pledge loans will be guaranteed on stored produce. 4. Cold storage units and radiation units for various agricultural produce, specifically for perishable items such as fruits and vegetables. 5· Quality seeds, pesticides, and agricultural equipment will also be sold at the Market Yards. Depending on the market, SeedCenters will be established. 6 Modern abattoirs and other facilities will be established for production and export of meat. AgroIndustries to Guarantee Crop Prices 1· Lok Satta government will guarantee the establishment of agroindustries that will ensure minimum support prices for fruits and vegetables. 2· Provisions to sell at minimum support prices even if prices plummet in the market. 3· AgroIndustries that enhance the value of crop will be established. 4· A state federation of agrobased industries to sell their produce will be established. Government will provide a subsidy to this federation if necessary. 5. Training to children of farmers and employment in agroindustries.