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- October 2019
Index
Toppers Talk
Art & Culture
Polity
- Right to access internet is fundamental right declares Kerala High Court
- Legal rights of Deities in India, Difference in Natural and Juristic Person
- Bru refugees refuse to return to Mizoram
- No animal sacrifice in Tripura temple-Orders High Court
- EC’s Order on Reducing Sikkim CM’s Disqualification Period
- Law Ministry issues corrigendum to Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act
- Appointment of the Judges in India.
- New Chief Justice of India- How is CJI appointed?
- Indian Penal Code 1860, HM Amit Shah wants to Overhaul IPC
- National Population Register (NPR) 2020
- Whistle Blowers Allegations on Infosys
Governance & Social Justice
- 60% girls in Delhi colleges anaemic
- Niti aayog’s School education quality index
- Multipurpose National Identity Card
- Population pyramid : India Vs China, Demographic dividend Phase of India
- UN Population Report, India will become the most populous country by 2027
- Supreme Court upholds SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendments Act
- Comparing Population Pyramids of India and China
- Waqf boards-Their governance and purpose
- Harvard Admissions Case
- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana- Ist Anniversary, Problems and solutions
- Significance of sexual and Reproductive Health-Status of reproductive services in India
- Pregnancy in Old Age, What is In Vitro Fertilisation-Risks and legal shortcomings
- Supreme Court Judgement on NGOs and RTI
- Social Stock Exchange
- Rajasthan Govt changes EWS norms, Sets Rs 8 lakh family income as only criteria
- Global hunger index 2019
- No Government job for those with more than two kids
- Ranitidine CANCER risk
- IIT Council Introduces Tenure track system
International Relations
- Bangladesh growing faster than India ?
- Cyprus dispute explained
- Donald Trump impeachment
- India wins Hyderabad Nizam case against Pakistan
- India’s reply to Pakistan at UNGA
- Prime Minister of Malaysia calls India and invader in Kashmir
- Should India recognise the armenian genocide ?
- Why are CARICOM countries important for India ?
- Why are countries leaving OPEC ?
- Attacks on Saudi Oil facilities
- Organization of Islamic Cooperation issues statement on Jammu and Kashmir
- Sri Lanka’s relations with India & China
- US troops start pullout in Syria as Turkey prepares for operation
- What are Vanilla Islands?
- India-USA trade deal
- UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award-2019
- Modi – Xi Informal meet at Mamallapuram – Historic Chinese links
- India China informal summit in Tamil nadu
- Pakistan save from FATF blacklist till 2020
- USA blacklists China organisations over Uighur Muslim abuse
- Why is Chile burning ?
- Why is the Philippines important for India
- Xi jinping Nepal visit 2019 and impact on India
- India Pakistan Cross LOC Trade suspended, Should India revoke suspension?
- Protests in Lebanon
- Chennai to Vladivostok Sea Route
- End of baghdadi
- Indian government’s security advisory
- Indians no longer require Visa to visit Brazil
- Non Aligned Movement 2019 summit
- US backed Ceasefire between Turkey and Kurds
- Pakistan stops postal exchange with India
- China’s GDP growth slows to 6% slowest in 27 years
- Common Goods for Health project by WHO
- Turkey attack Kurds in Syria
Geography
Economy
- Behavioural Aspect of Farmer Suicide
- Is rural India really open defecation free ?
- Global Growth Slow Down
- Nobel Prize in Economics 2019
- Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
- SBI wrote off bad loans worth 76,000 crores
- Surge in Onion Price
- Agriculture Credit by RBI’s Internal Working Group
- What is Debt to GDP Ratio?
- Yes Bank Crisis
- Nobel prize in Literature – Controversy
- Boosting Indian Exports
- Sopore Fruit Mandi deserted
- What is Pink Collarisation?
- Mizoram to have Broad Gauge railway line by 2021
- Demand downturn in Indian Economy
- Payment facilitation fund
- Participatory Guarantee Scheme
- RBI’s 4th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy 2019-20
- Tourism restrictions lifted in Kashmir
- Link between Jobs, Farming, and Climate
- Draft Social Security Code 2019
- State Tax Revenues, SGST and Central Tax Devolution are likely to fall short
- Competitiveness Index 2019 by World Economic Forum
- NITI Aayog’s Water Resources Strategy
- BSNL and MTNL financial issues-DoT prepares Rs 74000 crore revival plan
- 20th Livestock Census
- India falls 10 ranks in World economic forum’s Global competitiveness index
- RBI stops Printing Rs 2000 Notes
- What is the Unified Approach proposal of OECD?
- FCI granaries overflowing
- India’s Economic Growth 2019
- Financial Sector Scams in India
- Labour Market of India
- New Strategic Disinvestment Process
- Payment Delays to Sugarcane Farmers
- Why India’s IMF Quota is not increased
- What is monetary policy Transmission? Why banks are not reducing interest
- Mahatma Gandhi’s theory of Economics
- India moves up 14 spots to 63 on world Bank ease of doing business index
- New amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act
- Power Sector Scenario in India
- Telecos to Pay Rs 96,642 crore to the Government
- Camel population declines in Rajasthan
- Merger of BSNL and MTNL
- World bank on Indian economy
Defence & Security
- Nagas Kukis Conflict, What is the cause of the latest tensions?
- Case against 50 Celebrities controversy
- Can Indian Government intercept WhatsApp?
- UP Government fires 25000 home guards, Is Yogi Government’s decision justified?
- NCRB’s Crime in India 2017 report
- Aadhaar Social Media mandatory linking case
- What is TechSagar? National repository of India’s cyber tech capabilities.
Disaster Management
Science & Technology
- ISRO’S Project NETRA
- Facebook’s LIBRA Currency in trouble
- WHO launches first World report on Vision
- 2019 Nobel prize in physics
- 2019 Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine
- Elon musk’s starlink project
- NASA’s ICON mission
- New King of the Moons in the Solar system is Saturn
- What Is Spectroscopy ?
- Quantum supremacy
Environment
- Climate Vulnerable Mapping Of India
- C40 Cities
- Gujarat Unveils emission trading scheme
- Forest Plus 2.0
- Himalayan States seeks Green Bonus
- India to Phase Out Single Use Plastic (SUP) by 2022
- Role of Volcanoes in Global Warming
- NH 766 ban controversy, Protests in Kerala against night traffic ban on the forest stretch
- Climate Change needs Global Solution
- Aarey Forest -2185 trees to be cut for Mumbai metro
- Government to build 1400 km long Green wall
- Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi
- Aerosol formation brightening clouds
- Anthrax outbreak in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Two affected buffaloes died
- Species in News from June to October 2019
- Climate Action Summit 2019
Prelims bits

Tag:GS3||Economy || Agriculture || Agricultural Marketing
Why In News?
- The State Advisory Price (SAP) for sugarcane payable to farmers is due from the State government for the past three years, said R. Subhas, another farmer. They had been raising the issue of delay in releasing the dues for the last one year but to no avail.
- While salaries for mill employees were being disbursed promptly, farmers were not getting their dues.
Current challenges:
- Decreasing in global sugar demand:
- Demand and supply mismatch is the root cause of such huge arrears. The emergence of alternative sweeteners replacing sugar and increasing health consciousness has resulted in decreasing global sugar demand. Global consumption is still rising, though the pace of demand growth has slowed to an average of 1.4% in recent seasons, down from 1.7% over the past decade. While demand growth is decelerating, production has continued to rise due to superior seeds, better productivity of sugarcane per acre and sharply rising sugar recovery over the past decade.
- Problem of pending payments:
- It is particularly acute in UP, which accounts for 64% of the total outstanding arrears. In August 2018, total dues to sugarcane farmers in UP were Rs 11,163 crore. Data indicates a surge in sugarcane production in UP, from 149.4 million tons in 2012-13 to 182.1 million tons in 2017-18. During the same time period, the acreage under sugarcane production declined from 2.42 million hectares to 2.30 million hectares. The average sugar recovery rate increased from 9.18% to 10.86% in UP during the same period. As a result, sugar production increased, but consumption was stagnant, straining the ability to pay.
- Different approaches of fixing sugarcane prices:
- Based on the Rangarajan committee (2012) report, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommended a hybrid approach of fixing sugarcane prices, which involved fair and remunerative price (FRP) or floor price and revenue sharing formula (RSF). Under this approach farmers’ revenue from sugarcane would be higher if the price of sugar and by-products is high. Among the major producers of sugarcane, Maharashtra and Karnataka have accepted the revenue sharing formula. However, UP continues to follow the old SAP model. Large difference between SAP and price determined by RSF is considered the main reason for the acute arrears problem in UP.
- Biased sugar quota allocation by the Centre:
- Uttar Pradesh has been treated unfairly in monthly sugar quota allocation by the Centre. Despite being the largest producer of sugar (36.1%) and having the highest share in arrears (64%), UP has been given only a 32% share in allotted June-August quota. Maharashtra with lower sugar production (34%) and significantly lower share in arrears (5%), has been given a 37.7% share in the allotted quota
Legal Mandates:
- 15 per cent interest: sugar mills to pay 15 per cent interest on the delayed FRP payment to the sugarcane farmers. The commissioner asked mills to pay interest within three months. In case of non-payment of dues, mills will face the seizure action.
- The Sugarcane Control Order of 1966 mandates payment of the FRP to the growers within 14 days of delivery of cane and 15 per cent interest on it and if mill fails to adhere to the timeline.
- According to the Sugar Commissioner Office, Revenue Recovery Certificate (RRC) notices have been issued to the 73 mills that have not paid FRP to farmers. FRP dues worth ₹1,436 crores will be recovered by seizing properties of these mills.
- SC Ruling: The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government and the state cane commissioner on a plea by a farmers’ body seeking sugarcane dues of around Rs 8,000 crore including interest for 2011-15.
Causes:
- Fixation of FRP: It is another bone of contention between the Centre and sugar mills. The Centre decides FRP annually and the states can hike it by issuing a state advisory price or SAP. But mills want the price of sugarcane to be linked to the price of sugar.
Government efforts:
The Centre recently announced Rs 6,000 crore export subsidy to sugar mills to help clear sugarcane dues across the country. The payment, the Centre, said would be made directly to the farmers.
Way forward:
- We have to diversify crops and ensure that sugarcane production falls. This requires long-term investment, and the government will have to encourage farmers to cultivate crops like pulses and oilseeds.
- RSF needs to be aligned with FRP :
- It is recommended that if price determined on a revenue-sharing formula is less than FRP, the difference be financed by the Cess Fund under SDF.
- However, an arrangement under RSF needs to be aligned with FRP to protect the farmers in the event of any downward movement in prices of sugarcane. The FRP would serve as the floor price which the farmers would receive even when sugar prices fall to a level which leads to prices lower than FRP and in-line with the recent Sugarcane Acts of Karnataka & Maharashtra.
- Mechanization of sugarcane farming: the cost of conventional planting was ₹53,675 an acre, while that of mechanized cultivation with surface irrigation would be ₹46,600 an acre. They said it would further reduce to ₹38,850 an acre with mechanized cultivation and drip irrigation.
References:
- https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/mechanisation-of-sugarcane-farming-only-way-forward-say-experts/article24069571.ece
- https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/sugarcane-farmers-caught-in-a-maze-of-brotherhood-of-brokers-64590