Guarantee on MSP a hurdle in farmer-Centre talks

Tribune News Service

Neeraj Mohan

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 13

As farmers from Punjab and Haryana embarked on their scheduled Delhi march today, the demand for a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) emerges as the primary obstacle between the agrarian community and the government.

While farmer leaders perceive the demand of enactment of the MSP law to ensure all produces are procured at the Swaminathan formula of C2+50 per cent as a relatively modest request, the government sees it as a substantial challenge, requiring considerable financial allocations, infrastructure, policy and another guarantee to protect interests of consumers as well.

The government presently fixes MSP for 22 crops with annual adjustments corresponding to the eight crops of Rabi and 14 crops of Kharif seasons. However, farmers contend that the absence of legislation leaves them vulnerable to selling their produce to private traders at low prices, raising questions about the efficacy of the government’s MSP policy.

Agriculture and food policy expert Devinder Sharma emphasises the guaranteed MSP is a solution to address the multi-faceted challenges faced by farmers. He contends that the implementation of such a guarantee, requiring an annual allocation of around Rs 2 lakh crore (additional), is crucial for the welfare of the country’s 50 per cent population dependent on agriculture.

“Farmers are not demanding the government to procure all crops on the MSP, they just want a law to ensure that the produce is not procured below the MSP fixed by the government, which is the only reason behind the agriculture crises in the country,” he added.

Arjun Munda emphasises the need for wider consultations with stakeholders and states, stressing the necessity of a structured discussion to find a solution.

“We need to see what kind of law we have to come up with and what are the benefits and drawbacks of such a law,” he said, urging the protesting farmer groups to have a structured discussion with the government on the issue and do not allow the elements to take over their protest for political benefits.

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#Agriculture #Minimum Support Price MSP