Punjab farm bodies, Cong reject MSP hike; PM pro-farmer: SAD
: : Claiming that the increase in Minimum Support Price (MSP) of various crops announced on Wednesday as a poor joke with the agrarian community, farmer organisations and the ruling Congress party have rejected the move. They also claimed that the Centre had ‘deviated’ from its promise of adding 50% profit to the input cost.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Sunil Jakhar said, “The formula by which the MSP increase of ₹200 per quintal for paddy has been calculated has led to farmers feeling cheated. The MSP doesn’t include the land rent and the capital cost of the land.” He added that the increase was nowhere near the formulae that the Swaminathan commission had recommended.
“The figure of ₹200 looks huge but farmers are not going to get any benefit,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, president of a faction of Bharatiya Kisan Union. He dubbed the increase as a meaningless mirage and rejected it.
“The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices has calculated the MSP as per the last year’s cost figures. At the time of sowing and transplanting the paddy this year, the input cost had increased,” he added.
“The cost of labour has gone up between ₹1,200 and ₹1,500 per acre, there’s GST of 18% on machinery and farm implements and 12% on fertilisers. Diesel prices have also gone up,” Rajewal added.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal hailed the decision and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was pro-farmer. He added the state’s farmers would witness huge gains with the MSP increase in paddy translating into an additional income between ₹6,000 and ₹8,000 per acre.
“The record increase in MSP of 14 crops has fulfilled the main condition of the Swaminathan Commission report,” Sukhbir added.
“Eminent agri-scientist Dr MS Swaminathan’s report had given a formula to ensure 50% profit to farmers on the total cost of production. This has been implemented in toto by fulfilling a long-standing demand of the SAD. This demand had been spearheaded at all relevant forums by (SAD patron) Parkash Singh Badal,” he added.