Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh, on Wednesday said the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given approval for the increase in the Minimum Support Prices for Kharif crops for the season 2018-19.
“This decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs is a historic one as it redeems the promise of the pre-determined principle of fixing the MSPs at a level of at least 150 per cent of the cost of production announced in the Union Budget for 2018-19,” said Union Minister Singh while addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Union Minister Singh also said that the Central Government was working on a comprehensive strategy committed to realizing the vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.
“For doubling farmers income, emphasis has been given on enhancing productivity, reducing cost of cultivation and strengthening post-harvesting management, including market structure,” said the Union Minister.
The MSP policy will assure the farmers a minimum of 50 per cent as margin of profit, said Singh.
The Union Agriculture Minister also said the Central Government has initiated several market reforms which include Model Agriculture Produce and Livestock Marketing Act 2017 and Model Contract Farming and Services Act 2018.
“Many States have taken steps to adopt these through legislation. The Government is working on new market architecture so as to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices on their produce. These include setting up Gramin agricultural markets so as to promote 22,000 numbers of retail markets in close proximity of farm gate, competitive and transparent wholesale trade at APMC through eNAM and a robust and pro-farmer export policy,” said the Union Minister speaking on the reforms.
The list of Kharif crops Minimum Support Prices of which have been increased includes paddy, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, arhar, moong, urad, cotton, groundnut, sunflower seed, soyabeen, sesamum and nigerseed.
The increase in the MSPs are – nigersheed at Rs 1827 per quintal, moong by Rs 1400 per quintal, sunflower seed by Rs 1288 per quintal and cotton by Rs 1130 per quintal.
