DEMANDS RE-FIXATION OF MSP FOR WHEAT AT RS.2200 PER QUINTAL
CHANDIGARH – Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today out rightly rejected the proposed MSP of Rs.1350 per quintal for Wheat for 2012-13 as suggested by the Commission for Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP) and demanded re-fixation at Rs.2200 per quintal as MSP to compensate the farmers for an exorbitant hike in the cost of agricultural inputs.
In a statement, Mr. Badal said that the non-remunerative MSP coupled with anti-farmer policies of Centre was primarily responsible for the slowdown of the agricultural growth. The Chief Minister said that though his government had been constantly pleading the case of Punjab’s beleaguered peasantry which was in great distress and agony and demanded MSP of at least Rs.2200/- per quintal of wheat from the Government of India in line with the escalation of agricultural inputs. He said that the factors like withdraw of subsidy on fertilizers and consequently nearly three fold hike in the cost of DAP fertilizers had put the farmers in quandary and therefore, it was obligatory on the part of the GoI to announce an adequate hike in the MSP of Wheat at least by Rs.1080 instead of Rs.230 per quintal as recommended by CACP.
Mr. Badal reiterated the CACP should re-fix the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of the Wheat at Rs.2200 per quintal for the Rabi 2012-13 in accordance with the prevalent cost of the inputs in market. He said that the state Agriculture department had worked out the MSP for the crops in consultation with experts of the Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana in view of the recent escalation in the prices of agriculture inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, diesel besides cost involved on irrigation and labour.
Mr. Badal lamented that it was a paradoxical situation that Centre was not paying any heed to fix MSP by providing a margin of 50% over the cost of production to the farmers as suggested by an agricultural economist Dr. MS Swaminathan to ensure remunerative prices of their produce to the farmers rather recklessly importing wheat at a much higher prices.
The Centre should had at least realized the immense contribution of Punjab farmers to make our country self sufficient in food production to ensure national food security before announcing this unreasonable increase in MSP of Wheat, added Mr. Badal.
