Le ciblage des politiques agricoles en Inde: les implications pour les paysans du système d'approvisionnement public

Abstract

This contribution discusses a strategic aspect of the public intervention in India's agricultural sector. Created in the 1960s, the system of public procurement and minimum support prices has played since then a key role in food security policies. It aims to provide basic earnings for farmers, to build buffer-stocks and to supply the public distribution system that is geared towards the poorest consumers. Minimum support prices influence farmers' decisions on the allocation of the different varieties and crops. The government therefore uses the pricing policy to stimulate the production of specific food grains. Concretely, it seeks to procure minimum quantities of food grain. This policy has led to target and favour specific crops, regions and forms of production. This paper examines the rationale of the system and its effects on farmers, both economic and socio-political. It also shows that ongoing reforms are leading to a more explicit targeting of the system towards selected categories of farmers and of regions that this system could promote.