Welcome new MSP but want more, farmers tell Rajnath

New Delhi :  A delegation of farmers on Thursday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to congratulate the government for the “substantial” hike in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops even as they sought implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations for better remuneration.

The government has used ‘A2+FL’ concept of input cost to fix the MSP for this kharif season but it should take into account ‘C2’ concept while fixing MSP from next season as promised by the BJP before 2014 general elections, said Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) General Secretary Yudhvir Singh.

“We congratulated the minister and the government for taking first step towards fulfilling its promise by fixing MSP using ‘A2+FL’ concept. But we asked Rajnath ji to fix MSP from next season by taking ‘C2’ as input cost. It is a BJP’s electoral promise,” Yudhvir Singh told IANS.

He said the delegation also asked for proper implementation of procurement of foodgrain to ensure farmers get the MSP in reality.

“We told the minister that higher MSP would not be helpful if procurement is not carried out properly. We asked the Central government to monitor the procurement proces as it is conducted by states,” he said.

He said the minister told the delegation that the government was “aware” of the problem and it was working on it.

Published on: July 12, 2018 at 21:13 IST

IANS