Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar praises PM Modi and Centre over increase in MSP for farmers

Manohar Lal Khattar, the Chief Minister of Haryana, praised the Central Government on Friday for the approval of an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for all mandated rabi crops in 2022-23. Sugarcane prices have been raised from Rs 12 per quintal to Rs 326 per quintal. He congratulated the Central Government on behalf of the Haryana government for increasing farmer income. 

"The step taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is appreciable. Before the harvest of rabi crops, the new MSP has been introduced for six rabi crops," he added."During the introduction of MSP, it has been under the view that from the original price every crop should be at least increased to 50 per cent of the MSP, even few crops have reached to 100 per cent MSP," Khattar said.

Haryana CM praises PM Modi & Centre over MSP increase; Oppn criticises move by Central Government

The Opposition, on the other hand, has slammed PM Modi and the Central Government for this. The Congress accused the BJP-led government of "conspiracy" against farmers over the MSP, saying they should be compensated for their labour as well as the rising cost of inputs. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala argued in a statement that the Government's rise in the MSP for Rabi crops announced on Wednesday was "grossly insufficient" and that the administration had "betrayed" the farmers. He claimed that the MSP failed to deliver on its promise of giving farmers a 50% return over input costs. 

He also said that the BJP-led government's decisions had increased agricultural input costs by Rs 25,000 per hectare while the MSP had only been hiked by "2% to 8%." He said that diesel prices had risen significantly and that a GST had been placed on the higher costs of manure, insecticides, and agricultural equipment. He alleged that there is a scheme to remove the MSP.

MSP increased for RMS 2022-23

For the Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2022-23, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) recommended an increase in the MSP for all mandatory rabi commodities earlier this week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the meeting. The government has increased the MSP of rabi crops for RMS 2022-23, according to a statement posted by CCEA, in order to ensure that growers receive fair prices for their produce. Lentil (Masur), rapeseed, and mustard (Rs 400 per quintal each) have been suggested as having the biggest absolute rise in MSP over the previous year, followed by gramme (Rs 400 per quintal) (Rs 130 per quintal).

In the instance of safflower, the price has risen by Rs 114 per quintal over the previous year. The variable compensation is aimed at encouraging crop diversification. The hike in MSP is in keeping with the Union Budget 2018-19 statement of fixing MSPs at a level of at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production, aiming for sufficiently fair compensation for farmers according to CCEA. Wheat, rapeseed, and mustard are anticipated to have the highest expected returns above their cost of production. 

Edible oil production to be increased to reduce imports

The CCEA also stated that the Government's recently announced centrally sponsored scheme, National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), will aid in growing domestic edible oil output and reducing import dependency. The project, which has a total budget of Rs 11,040 crores, will not only help to grow the sector's area and production but will also benefit farmers by improving their income and creating more jobs, according to the statement. The government's umbrella scheme, 'Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan' (PM-AASHA), was unveiled in 2018 and will help farmers get compensated for their produce. The umbrella scheme consists of three sub-schemes. The sub-schemes are Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) and Private Procurement and Stockist Scheme (PPSS) on a pilot basis.

(With inputs from ANI)

(IMAGE: PTI / ANI)