E-Paper
Other states should also follow Haryana MSP model: Shyam Singh Rana
Shyam Singh Rana was in Karnal to attend the first foundation day of Maharana Pratap Horticulture University on Wednesday and was speaking to reporters on the scheduled march of the protesting farmers to New Delhi on December 6.
Haryana agriculture and farmer’s welfare minister Shyam Singh Rana said that his state government under chief minister Nayab Singh Saini is giving minimum support price (MSP) on 24 crops and other states/UTs in the country should also follow the same model and there will be no problem for the farmers.
The minister was in Karnal to attend the first foundation day of Maharana Pratap Horticulture University on Wednesday and was speaking to reporters on the scheduled march of the protesting farmers to New Delhi on December 6.
A group of farmers are protesting on the Haryana and Punjab borders at Shambhu and Khanauri since February this year, demanding a legal guarantee on MSP among other key demands.
After being stopped from entering Haryana to march towards the national capital in February several times through force, the farmers are set to re-launch their efforts to push through the barricades.
Reacting on the march, Rana said that during the previous protests of 2020, the farmers were demanding that the three agricultural laws be quashed that were taken back by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Main crops wheat and paddy are purchased on MSP, as well as other crops. Our government purchases 24 crops on MSP, some are bought by the Centre. If other states could buy in the same manner, there will be no problem,” he added.
He said that on December 9, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the main campus of Maharana Pratap Horticulture University through video conferencing during his visit to Panipat.
The minister further told the reporters that wheat sowing is going on smoothly in the state and more than 85% of the process is done, while there are sufficient quantities of fertilizers available.
In Karnal, officials said that wheat is grown on over 5.25 lakh acre with 95% of the wheat sowing completed and rest will be done after sugarcane cultivation ends.
Meanwhile, addressing the gathering, Rana said, “We should promote millets more and more that are extra beneficial for human intake than wheat.
Farmers are not getting profit from traditional farming of wheat and paddy and natural resources are being over-exploited. Due to which serious water problems have started appearing in the country as well as the state. In view of this, the Prime Minister is encouraging farmers to cultivate millets.”
