‘MSP purchase is Modi govt’s guarantee,’ says India’s agriculture minister as farmer unions renew protests
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured the Rajya Sabha on Friday that the Modi government is committed to purchasing all farm produce at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). This statement came as farmers marched to Delhi demanding a legal guarantee for MSP. Chouhan highlighted that the government has increased MSP and included a 50% profit over production costs since 2019.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured on Friday in Rajya Sabha that the Narendra Modi government is committed to purchasing all farm produce at minimum support price (MSP).
The agriculture minister’s statement came on the day the farmers marched to Delhi with a charter of demands, which includes a legal guarantee for the MSP of crops.
“I want to assure the house through you that all produce of farmers will be purchased at Minimum support price. This is the Modi government and the guarantee to fulfil Modi’s guarantee,” Chouhan told the house.
“MSP is given when a crop is sold at rates lower than the MSP. I want to assure the welfare of farmers is our commitment. We have done the work of raising MSP and also buying crops on MSP,” he added.
Citing the policies of the Modi government, Chouhan said that since 2019, MSP has been calculated to include a 50 per cent profit over the cost of production, benefiting farmers. He contrasted this with the Congress-led governments, alleging they ignored farmers’ demands.
“When our friends from the other side were in power, they had stated on record that they cannot accept the M S Swaminathan Commission recommendations, especially on giving 50 per cent more than the cost of produce. I have the record,” he said.
“They [the Congress] have never honored the farmers and never gave serious consideration to remunerative prices. But we, on the other hand, have been giving 50 per cent more than the cost of production for crops like paddy, wheat, jowar, and soybean for the past three years,” the minister said.
The minister also cited intervention in changing export duties and prices whenever rates of commodities fall.
After Chouhan’s remarks, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked him to place on record the documents to substantiate his claim, which he agreed to.
On December 3, Dhankhar had questioned Chouhan over the government not holding a dialogue with the farmers. “Can we create a boundary between the farmer and the government? I do not understand why there is no dialogue with the farmers. My concern is why this initiative has not happened so far,” he had said.
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Source : First Post
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