Fifteenth Finance Commission to form a High-Level Expert Group on Agriculture Exports

The Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV-FV) is to constitute a High-Level Expert Group on Agriculture Exports in pursuance of its Terms of Reference (ToR). The group will recommend measurable performance incentives for States to encourage Agri exports and to promote crops to enable high import substitution. The Committee has been asked to submit recommendations within three months.

The composition of the group is as below:

• Shri Sanjiv Puri, Chairman and Managing Director, ITC – Chairman
• Radha Singh, Former Agriculture Secretary – Member.
• Representative of Ministry of Food Processing Industries – Member.
• Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry – Member.
• Shri Suresh Narayanan, CMD, NESTLE India – Member.
• Jay Shroff, CEO-UPL Limited – Member.
• Shri Sanjay Sacheti, Country Head India-Olam Agro India Ltd. – Member.
• Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, RIS – Member.

Roles of the commission:

• The group will assess export & import substitution opportunities for Indian agricultural products and suggest ways to step up exports sustainably and reduce import dependence.
• It will recommend methods to increase farm productivity, enable higher value addition, ensures waste reduction, etc. to improve the sector’s global competitiveness.
• The group will identify impediments for private sector investments and suggest policy measures and reforms that will attract the required investments.

PAPER-III