New Delhi: The announcement of the much-awaited Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops has made it clear that crop diversification is the prime objective of the government, which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to improve the depleting soil fertility as the maximum hike of Rs 523 per quintal has been given in sesamum, while the lowest Rs 92 per quintal is in case of maize. As per the approval of the CCEA, haired by Modi, there is a significant increase in the MSP of oilseeds and pulses.
In pulses, the government has increased the MSP of moong by Rs 480/quintal from the previous year. Now, the farmers would get Rs 7,755 as the minimum support price of the lentil, while with a hike of Rs 300/quintal, the MSP of Tur (Arhar) has been fixed at Rs 6,600/quintal for the Kharif marketing season (KMS) 2022-23.
However, the hike in MSP has not been welcomed by farmers. "The government may grab the limelight by increasing the MSP of 14 Kharif crops, but it's not going to address the problems of the farmers, who are struggling with higher electricity tariffs, skyrocketing fuel prices, higher cost of machinery," said Ganesh Nanote, a cotton farmer from Vidarbha region in Maharashtra.
"Farmers are also consumers and they get affected by the rampant rise in inflation. We also buy other essential items from the retail market for our survival. We are worried about meeting the expenses incurred on cultivation," he said, adding that the government should decide on the MSP by taking inflation into the consideration.
On the issue, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Dharmendra Malik said, "The government has increased the MSP of those crops which are not largely grown by farmers and there is no guarantee of its procurement by the government."
"In the name of crop diversification, the government cannot befool farmers. No doubt, the higher MSP on pulses and oilseeds is a step to encourage farmers to cultivate moong, tur, urad, groundnut, sunflower, soyabean, etc, but it would help farmers only after the government assures the procurement of these crops at the MSP," Malik said, adding that farmers hardly get the MSP of any of these crops and they are bound to sell their produce at below MSP to traders. Commenting on the issue, Suresh Nagpal, who is the chairman of COOIT -- an apex association of edible oils, said, "The hike in MSP of oilseeds is a step in the right direction. It will encourage more and more farmers to grow oilseeds as well as prompt them to shift away from grains.
"Looking at the increased cost of electricity, supply chain, and other agriculture inputs, the rise in MSPs of commodities such as oilseeds, pulses, nutri-cereals, and cotton has been higher than for paddy. It would help in reducing the import of oilseeds and pulses," said Kalyan Goswami, who represents the Agro Chem Federation of India.