Niranjan Patnaik demands to revise MSP for paddy
Bhubaneswar, Jul 4: Govt. of India has announced the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Paddy for 2018-19 Kharif season. It has been hiked by around Rs.200 per quintal. It was announced after the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in a meeting on Wednesday morning. The government had earlier announced in its budget to hike the support price by one-and-a-half times of the production cost for Kharif crops. The MSP for paddy for 2017-18 was Rs 1550 per quintal. The hike of Rs.200 per quintal is not sufficient and remunerative, alleges Mr. Niranjan Patnaik, Odisha PCC president.
In a note Mr. Patnaik has mentioned, this year the announcement of MSP for kharif has been delayed almost for one month. Prior to this usually the MSP was announced in first or second week of June. In spite of inordinate delay BJP govt. has not given proper attention to the input cost of agri produce. Prime Minister has promised to fix MSP one and half times more than the input cost. Also Odisha govt. had suggested centre to fix the MSP of common variety paddy at Rs.2930 per quintal. But Commission of Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) had recommended Rs.1745 for common grade paddy. But BJP govt. at centre has betrayed the farmers, alleges Mr. patnaik. He has demanded hike in MSP for paddy should be corrected at the earliest.
