CPI(M)'s Yechury unhappy with 'slight increase' in MSP, accuses Govt of cheating farmers

Communist Party of India (Marxist) accused the Centre of duping the farmers as party secretery-general Sitaram Yechury alleged that the government was 'directly cheating the annadata'. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday announced that the Union Cabinet had approved the increase in Minimum Support Price for 14 Kharif crops by 50-83 per cent. Sitaram Yechury lashed out at the government for only a 'slight increase' in the MSP for Kharif crops as compared to the previous year. 

READ | Cabinet Approves Increase In MSP Of 14 Kharif Crops, Loan Repayment Deadline Extended

'Direct cheating'

The CPI(M) Secretary-General hit out at the government for increasing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) by a very slight margin. Citing the example of the rise in MSP for paddy (Rs 53 as announced on Monday) per quintal, Sitaram Yechury said that the cost of production had gone up much more than the MSP that was announced on Monday. Further, he said that farmers were already committing suicide due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown and termed the situation as 'worst'. Sitaram Yechury also accused the government of 'directly cheating the annadata', saying that the farmers were previously selling off to the government and now the Centre is telling that they have bumper procurement because they cannot sell anywhere else due to lockdown, according to ANI. 

READ | 'Promise Fulfilled': PM Modi Lauds Cabinet Decision To Increase MSP For Kharif Crops

Cabinet Approves Increase In MSP

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar announced the Union Cabinet's decision to announce an increase in the Minimum Support Price for 14 Kharif crops by 50-83%. Maintaining that the farmers were a priority for the Centre even during the nationwide lockdown, he revealed that they gave a bumper crop due to the thoughtful decisions taken by the government. He noted that the government had accepted the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission in 2018-19 itself by ensuring that farmers get a 50% profit on their produce. 

READ | Major Reshuffle In BJP's Bengal Unit; Arjun Singh Made VP, Chandra Kumar Bose Shunted Out

'A big relief for the farmers' 

Tomar also mentioned that the Cabinet had decided to extend the time for the farmers to repay their loans till August 31. If a farmer managed to repay the loan till August 31, only a 4 per cent interest shall be applicable. According to him, this was a big relief for the farmers and recalled that subsidy worth Rs.28,000 had been given under this scheme in 2019. He added that more than 6.65 crore farmers are covered in the scheme. 

"While the interest rate of banks is 9 per cent, the Indian government gives a 2 per cent subsidy. So, the farmer gets a loan on an interest rate of 7 per cent. If the farmer repays the loan on time, he gets a further subsidy of 3 per cent. Because the situation is not normal even now, the PM has extended the time for the repayment of loans till August 31 in the interest of the farmers. A farmer repaying his loans till August 31 will get the loan at 4 per cent interest. This is a big relief for the farmers. In the last year, a subsidy of Rs.28,000 crore was given to the farmers," Tomar stated. 

READ | Smriti Irani Hits Out At Congress Over Missing Posters In Amethi; Questions Sonia Gandhi