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Punjab: Paddy MSP hike meagre, says SKM
According to the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, the paddy minimum support price has been increased to ₹2,369 per quintal from last year’s ₹2,300
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has condemned the minimum support price (MSP) that was announced for 14 crops for the current kharif season by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on May 28. The government has increased the paddy rate to ₹2,369 per quintal (100 kg) from last year’s ₹2,300.
In a statement, the SKM mentioned, “The MSP is not based on Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation of C2+50% formula. Had it been implemented, the paddy MSP should have been ₹3,135 per quintal. The average production in India for paddy is 25-30 quintals per acre and the loss due to non-implementation of Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation for farmers on one-acre production will be in the range of ₹19,150 to ₹22,980, which is three times higher than ₹6,000 being provided under the PM Kisan Nidhi,” the SKM leaders stated.
The C2 formula of calculating the cost of cultivation includes the cost of capital and the rent on the land to give farmers 50% returns.
A senior SKM leader, Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, said the group and the farmer’s organisations across the country were consistently demanding implementation of the C2+50% formula for MSP with guaranteed procurement as promised in the election manifesto of the BJP in the 2014 general election.
“However, the BJP-led Union government under PM Modi has been betraying the farmers for the 12th year by not increasing the MSP using the C2+50% formula,” he said.
The SKM added the rate of inflation and the rising prices of fertilisers, seed and other input materials, including petroleum products, and the living cost were much higher than the MSP hike.
The SKM has also decided to ensure active participation in a nationwide general strike at tehsil and block level on July 9.
