The NDA Government has not only fixed the Minimum Support Price of crops at double their cost of production but has also increased procurement four-fold compared to the UPA Government, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour in the Upper House regarding Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, Chouhan said the previous UPA Government had refused to give a 50 per cent hike over the cost of production of crops as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
However, the Modi Government in 2019 decided to accept these recommendations and offer MSP with a 50 per cent margin over the production cost, he added.
Raising the issue of MSP, Mukul Balkrishna Wasnik, Congress MP from Rajasthan, began the debate, questioning whether farmers were protesting for a legal guarantee under MSP, whether the govt was considering any law on this, and whether it was ready to provide such a guarantee.
Chouhan said the Modi Government had worked to increase crop production while reducing production costs, and had simultaneously ensured the procurement of crops at the right price from farmers.
He stated that his government has doubled the MSP as compared to what the UPA Government had offered.
Citing several examples, he said the UPA Government had offered Rs 1,310 as MSP for paddy in 2013–14, while the Modi Government has decided to pay Rs 2,369.
Similarly, the procurement price of jowar (white millet) has been increased from Rs 1,500 during the UPA rule to Rs 3,699, he added, citing similar increases in various other crops.
Chouhan also compared crop procurement during the 10 years of UPA rule (2004–2014) with that of the current NDA regime to substantiate his claim that crop procurement has increased fourfold. Wasnik said the Minister offered a long answer, but his questions remained unanswered.
According to Wasnik, 1,12,000 farmers have committed suicide and farm debt has piled up to Rs 28.5 lakh crore during the 11 years of the NDA rule.
He added that on November 15, 2024, during a visit to Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in a public rally that soybeans would be purchased at an MSP of Rs 6,000 per quintal, but that price has not been offered yet.
When Wasnik questioned the formula used by the Government to fix MSP, Chouhan reiterated that while the UPA Government rejected the Swaminathan recommendation, the NDA offers MSP with a 50 per cent return over the cost of production.
He said his government, which is procuring record quantities of crops under the MSP scheme, has decided to buy 100 per cent of the production of tur, masur and urad etc.
He also accused the Congress-ruled Karnataka Government of violating crop-procurement norms, stating that farmers’ welfare is the utmost priority for his government.
Chouhan added that while the UPA Government did not buy vegetables and fruits from farmers, his government has purchased tomato, potato and onion as well as apples, grapes, red chillies and ginger under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).
“We are giving more than 50 per cent over MSP on certain crops,” Chouhan said.
John Brittas, CPI(M) MP from Kerala, asked whether there were demands to increase the number of crops covered under MSP and whether the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices had recommended expanding MSP coverage.
Brittas also asked whether an amount of Rs 1,206.69 crore remains unpaid to Kerala by the Centre for paddy procurement since 2017–18, and if so, when the Government intends to release these funds.
Chouhan said that besides the 22 scheduled crops under MSP, the Government is purchasing several other crops under MIS and the PM-ASHA scheme.
Regarding the dues, he said the Government would release payments if any dues exist, and would conduct an inquiry in case of any anomalies.
