Parl panel bats for legal guarantee of MSP to protect farmers’ interests

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday recommended the implementation of a legally binding minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, asserting that such a measure could significantly reduce farmer suicides and provide crucial financial stability.

The Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing, chaired by Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi, presented its detailed report to Parliament, highlighting the transformative potential of a legal MSP framework.

“The committee strongly recommends that the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare declare a roadmap for implementing MSP as a legal guarantee at the earliest,” the report said. Currently, the government sets MSP for 23 commodities based on recommendations from the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). However, the panel argued that making MSP legally binding would safeguard farmers’ incomes, stimulate rural economic growth, and bolster national food security.

Among its key recommendations, the committee proposed implementing a robust MSP system to mitigate farmer suicides, compensating farmers for crop residue management, and establishing a National Commission for Minimum Living Wages for Farm Labourers. The panel also called for a debt waiver scheme for farmers and farm labourers and suggested renaming the agriculture department to reflect the inclusion of farm labourers of MSP to protect farmers’ interests

The report stressed that guaranteed income through MSP would encourage farmers to adopt advanced agricultural practices, increasing productivity and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Additionally, the committee suggested that the government present a post-crop season statement in Parliament, outlining the number of farmers who sold their produce at MSP and the disparity between MSP and market prices.

It is worth noting that a legal MSP was one of the key demands of the 2021 farmer protests, which led to the repeal of the contentious farm laws and the formation of an MSP committee.