Farmers’ organisations have questioned the “delay” in announcing the minimum support price (MSP) for crops of this Rabi season even as sowing has started in several States. Farmers point out that announcing the MSP is important so that farmers can select the crops that have to be sown during the season.
Shamli-based farmers leader Jitender Singh Hudda urged the Centre to implement the Swaminathan Commission formula to decide MSP that should include comprehensive input cost, including rental value of land plus 50%. “The input cost for fuels, seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, labour and transportation have increased. Agricultural instruments and their maintenance have also become costly,” Mr. Hudda said.
RSS-affiliated farmers’ outfit Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) said they were not consulted either by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) or the Centre this time. “Earlier, there used to be two members representing farmers in the CACP. Now, there are no members representing farmers, and the MSP is calculated based on available statistics before the government,” said BKS general secretary Mohini Mohan Mishra.
