Haryana paddy growers want Centre to announce MSP for kharif crops

KARNAL: With only a week left for transplantation of paddy in the state, farmers are waiting for the Centre to announce the minimum support price (MSP) for Kharif crops, including paddy.

This announcement becomes important this year as many farmers will decide on whether to grow the basmati variety or the ordinary variety (parmal) after this rate is decided.

Usually, the government announces the MSP before the crop is sown, but this year the decision has been delayed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly announced that the MSP for Kharif crops, including paddy, would be at least 1.5 times the production cost and all major costs incurred will be included. In the Union Budget 2018-19 also, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced that the MSP of Kharif crops would be at least 50% higher than the cost of production.

‘DELAY IS CONFUSING FARMERS’

The early announcement would have helped farmers avoid the confusion they are now facing. This arises from the fact that the government agencies procure only Parmal Varieties of paddy under the minimum support price.

The long-grained varieties, including Basmati, are not covered under the minimum support price and they have to depend on private traders to sell their produce.

There is also an yield difference between the varieties, with parmal yielding around 30 quintal per acre against Basmati’s yield of 20 quintal per acre.

“The minimum support price for paddy should be announced before the sowing of nursery, which generally starts in the second week of May,” said a farmer Mahinder Singh of Yunishpur village of Karnal.

“This announcement should not be delayed any further as transplantation is likely to start next week,” he added.