NFSA Ration Cards for Directors of Farmer Producer Companies!
NAFPO has recently come across cases where FPC directors’ ration cards are being refused. We have formally submitted a request to the government asking that NFSA ration cards not be cancelled for Farmer Producer Company directors. These are farmer-led institutions, and directors are often smallholders themselves.
Here is our request to SFAC India, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Ministry Of Consumer Affairs, Food And Public Distribution
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We would like to bring to your notice a specific exclusion criterion under The National Food Security Act (NFSA):
“Households with non-agricultural enterprises registered with the Government.”
While this clause rightly aims to exclude economically better-off households, its current interpretation risks inadvertently disqualifying rural farmers who are directors in Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs)—entities registered under the Companies Act but fundamentally agricultural in nature.
Key Considerations:
FPCs are agricultural enterprises: These companies are formed by farmers to collectively engage in production, aggregation, processing, and marketing of agricultural produce. Their registration under the Companies Act is a legal necessity, not an indicator of commercial affluence or non-agricultural activity.
Directors are often smallholder farmers: Many FPC directors are marginal or small farmers who continue to depend on subsidized food grains under NFSA. Their directorship is a voluntary leadership role, not a sign of economic privilege.
Risk of exclusion undermines rural empowerment: Penalizing FPC directors by excluding them from NFSA benefits discourages farmer collectivization, leadership, and formalization—goals actively promoted by the Government of India through various schemes including the formation of 10,000 FPOs.
Our Request:
We respectfully urge the concerned Ministry to issue a clarification stating that:
“Households with agricultural enterprises registered under the Companies Act, such as Farmer Producer Companies, shall not be excluded from NFSA eligibility solely on the basis of such registration.”
Such a clarification will ensure that rural farmers’ Ration Cards are not refused, thereby not penalizing them for formalizing their agricultural activities. It will uphold the spirit of NFSA in supporting food security for all vulnerable households.
हमारा अनुरोध:
हम संबंधित मंत्रालय से सम्मानपूर्वक अनुरोध करते हैं कि वे स्पष्ट रूप से यह स्पष्टीकरण जारी करें:
"कंपनी अधिनियम के तहत पंजीकृत कृषि उद्यमों, जैसे कि किसान उत्पादक कंपनियाँ, को केवल इस पंजीकरण के आधार पर NFSA पात्रता से बाहर नहीं किया जाएगा।"
इस प्रकार का स्पष्टीकरण यह सुनिश्चित करेगा कि ग्रामीण किसानों के राशन कार्ड अस्वीकार न किए जाएँ और उन्हें अपनी कृषि गतिविधियों को औपचारिक रूप देने के लिए दंडित न किया जाए। यह NFSA की भावना को बनाए रखेगा, जो सभी कमजोर परिवारों के लिए खाद्य सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित करने का उद्देश्य रखता है।