Proposed hike in paddy MSP is peanuts, say Punjab farmers

› Farmers are going through tough times due to unavailability of labour and the meagre increase in paddy prices will rub salt into their wounds

SUKHDEV SINGH KOKARI, BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary

PATIALA:The proposal of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to increase minimum support prices (MSP) of kharif crops is “peanuts,” farmers in Punjab have said.

“We reject the commission’s recommendations to offer peanuts by increasing paddy MSP by ₹53 this year. They have taken such decisions while sitting in air-conditioned rooms without any reality check on the ground,” said Sukhdev Singh Kokari, general secretary of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan).

According to the recommendations approved by the Union cabinet, the minimum support prices of paddy (common) is ₹1,868, an increase of ₹53 from ₹1,815 last year and paddy (Grade-A) is ₹ 1,888 (₹1,835 in 2019).

For maize crop, the amount proposed is ₹1,850, an increase of ₹ 90 from ₹1,760 last year.

The prices of cotton (medium staple) are ₹5,515, up ₹260 from ₹5,255 last year, and that of long staple ₹5,825, up ₹275 from ₹ 5,550 last year.

NUMEROUS CHALLENGES

The farmers face numerous challenges when it comes to sowing of kharif crops from June 10 due to shortage of labour in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation.

“The farmers are going through tough times due to unavailability of labour and the meagre increase in paddy prices will rub salt into their wounds,” Kokari said.

Jagmohan Singh, state general secretary of BKU (Dakaunda), said the input cost on paddy sowing was going to increase manifold after the labour exodus from the state.

Prices of fertilisers and pesticides were increasing too due to the lockdown.

Black marketing of Punjab agricultural University recommended seed varieties PR 128 and PR 129 was also pushing up input costs this time, he added.

‘CENTRE SHOULD ADOPT SWAMINATHAN’S RECOMMENDATION’

“Instead of the giving meagre hike in MSP, the Centre should have adopted the formula forwarded by the chairman, National Commission on Farmers,

Dr MS Swaminathan, under which farmers are assured of MSP which accounts for the basic costs incurred on production plus 50% profit on that,” Singh said.

The farmer leaders said labour costs were expected to double this year as migrant workers charged ₹2,500 to ₹ 3,000 per acre for sowing paddy while local labour in Punjab demanded ₹5,000 to ₹5,500 per acre.

According to the state agriculture department, around 26.3 lakh hectares was expected to be covered under paddy cultivation, 5 lakh hectares under cotton and 2.7 lakh hectares under maize.