PM to farmers: MSP promise will be kept
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Centre was working with the states to ensure that farmers got the minimum support price (MSP) of oneand-a-half times their cost of production. He added the cost would include expenses on labour, rent for machinery and land, cost of seeds and fertilisers, as well as interest on working capital.
Some people are trying to confuse and demotivate farmers on the MSP issue, Modi said, addressing the annual Krishi Unnati Mela, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture at Pusa, New Delhi. One of the demands of the massive farmers’ protest of farmers in Maharashtra last week was to provide clarity how the MSP would be calculated.
The PM said the Centre had framed several model laws on contract farming, land lease and agriculture marketing. States should implement these for the benefit of the farmers, he added.
“Steps are being taken… with the objective of doubling (farmer) incomes by 2022,” Modi said. The PM reiterated his government’s promise at a time when tillers in various parts of the country have been complaining about rabi crops selling below the MSP.
On Saturday, Modi also appealed to farmers to cut urea consumption by at least half by 2022 and enhance oilseed production, so that edible oil imports could be curbed. He also asked tillers to not burn crop residue, as it led to air pollution — a major cause of winter smog in the National Capital Region.
Listing out the farmer- centric announcements by his government in the Budget, Modi said it was important to connect rural retail markets with wholesale and global ones.
The PM also said farmer produce organisations (FPOs) had been given income tax relief on the lines of cooperative societies. Now, the launch of an emarketing portal for organic products will increase the benefits.
He said besides the green (farm) and white (milk) revolutions, there was a need for organic and water revolutions, for better management of the resource.
“The government is working to ensure that farmers get the latest seeds and sufficient electricity, as well as right prices for their produce and that they do not face any problem in accessing markets,” Modi said.
Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh, who was also at the event, said farmers who have joined politics and were raising issues should also make their peers aware of government initiatives.