The West Bengal government is looking into the possibility of introducing partnership farming in the state.
The state government, which has all along opposed contract farming or corporate farming as practised in states like Maharashtra, has failed to avail itself of central grants under macro-mode projects.
There is no provision for contract farming in The West Bengal Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) (Amendment) Act, 1981, but it is informally practised in the state in the name of participatory farming.
Mortaza Hossain, minister of agricultural marketing, said: “Though we are not in favour of contract farming, we might go for partnership farming. We are working out a possible model keeping in mind farmers’ interests.”
According to sources in the department, the model followed by Frito-Lay has raised much interest. Frito-Lay had introduced a partnership farming concept with contracts spelling out the technology, seeds, fertilisers and inputs to be provided by the company. It also provides output specifications and the price at which the produce will be purchased from the farmers.
In the partnership farming model, the banker can claim the amount from the insurance firm rather than rescheduling the loan or offering a moratorium in case of crop failure, said the official.
The state had asked companies interested in investing in medicinal plants to deal with panchayats, farmers’ co-operatives and self-help groups instead of asking the farmers to join contract farming.
“This will enable us to get money from the Centre’s macro-mode fund,” Hossain said. The state had complied with two clauses, direct marketing and private market, but not the third— contract farming. “With the partnership farming model, we will be in a position to comply with all three clauses,” he said.