NDA-ruled Maharashtra and BJP-ruled Gujarat and Rajasthan were ranked on top in the first-ever Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index brought out by the NITI Aayog on Monday. As on October 20, 2016, these States have implemented most of the marketing reforms and offered best environment for doing agribusiness.
Interestingly, almost two-third of the States could not reach even halfway mark of reforms score. Major states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Jammu Kashmir are in this group.
“The low levels of productivity, growth and incomes ailing the farm sector in India and causing immense agrarian distress are well known. Without undertaking radical reform it is impossible to transform agriculture and double farmers' income. However, state governments have been extremely lax in implementing much needed reforms to modernize agriculture and create a favourable policy and market environment for farmers,” NITI Aayog said in a statement while announcing the index.
The Aayog had recommended three crucial reforms pertaining to marketing in agriculture. These were: amend existing regulations to liberalise markets so that farmers have the freedom to sell his produce; special treatment of fruits and vegetables from other farm produce as they are perishable and produced in small quantities; use of information technology so that farmers benefit from interconnected markets.