Swaraj India has taken note of the increase in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for kharif crops announced by the Central Government, which are in line with earlier standard increases. It is disheartening that the enhancement of MSP does not attempt to achieve the C2+50% formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission that would provide remunerative price to farmers.

Yogendra Yadav, National President of Swaraj India said: “We call upon the Central Government to ensure efficient and complete implementation of PM AASHA Scheme for procurement of crops at MSP that was announced in September 2018. The Government should ensure that highest possible procurement of kharif crops take place for Public Distribution System. Procurement by Food Corporation of India and other government agencies should be at the earliest time when the harvest reaches the market so that farmers are not forced to sell crops at below-MSP prices to unscrupulous traders. The Central Government should also ensure that procurement agencies have sufficient funds so that procurement is smooth and without the usual obstacles that farmers have to face like limit on quantity, delay in payment etc.”

Avik Saha, National Convenor, Jai Kisan Andolan, the farmers wing of Swaraj said: “PM AASHA scheme envisages a wide variety of interventions in the market to ensure that farmers get MSP in transactions with private traders. The government must take its own scheme seriously, Infuse substantial funds and act efficiently and quickly by getting into the market for stabilising prices and ensuring that farmers are not short-charged by selling their crops to private traders at throw-away prices. This is a unique opportunity for the Government to establish the seriousness of its intent in ensuring increase in farmers’ income by being able to sell their produce at MSP or higher-than-MSP prices.”

—