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Akali Dal slams meagre hike in paddy MSP
The central government has set ₹1,960 per quintal MSP for paddy this year, up from ₹1,888 in the last kharif season
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday termed the ₹72 per quintal hike in minimum support price (MSP) of paddy as “meagre”, adding that it would take agriculturalists further away from the Centre’s promise of doubling farm income by 2022.
The central government has set ₹1,960 per quintal MSP for paddy this year, up from ₹1,888 in the last kharif season.
Terming the hike not sufficient to cover the increase in the cost of agricultural inputs, including diesel and fertilisers, the SAD president said the government should have taken into account the actual cost of production while determining the MSP.
“The 1.5-time-income formula should be applied on the actual cost of production, including rent and interest foregone by farmers on land and machinery,” he said.
Asking the Centre to provide a level playing field to the farming community, Sukhbir said the MSP on paddy was a cruel joke on farmers who were already in a state of crisis due to the three farm laws, which were expected to undermine the MSP regime.
“The careless manner in which the MSP has been calculated exposes the apathetic attitude of the government towards farmers. The SAD demands the government provides a remunerative support price to farmers as well as the agriculture sector,” said the party president.
