Chandigarh, June 9 : Terming the increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Kharif crops by the Central Government as a ‘BJP Jumla’, Mahila Kisan Union President Bibi Rajwinder Kaur Raju said the union Government has provided the MSP for 14 Kharif crops only on paper not in reality. It could beat its own drum among the general public for increasing the purchase prices but aware farmers couldn’t be befooled by such tactics.
While interacting with the media here on Thursday, the Mahila Kisan Union president Bibi Rajwinder Kaur Raju said in the present marketing and trading system only farmers of two-three states get MSP of wheat and paddy whereas farmers do not get the MSP of any of the pulses and oilseeds crops like moong, tur, urad, groundnut, sunflower, soybean etc. “They are forced to sell their produce to traders at prices much lower than the MSP and they do not even get back the cost of production. Therefore, without the guarantee of MSP, this “jumla” by the BJP government was limited only on papers and does not resolves the problems of the farmers”, she lamented.
The woman farmer leader said Narendra Modi, who had turned back on promising to give the MSP of crops as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee before becoming the Prime Minister, cannot deceive farmers in the name of crop diversification. Bibi Raju advised that in order to increase the area under cultivation of pulses and oilseeds, the BJP led dispensation should provide legal assurance to purchase these crops at MSP as promised in their manifestoes. “It will be the only way for the betterment of farmers and increasing their income as these pulses and oilseeds crops are not grown by all the farmers in the country”, she added.
Expressing deep concern over rising inflation and declining growth rate, Bibi Raju said farmers were also consumers and badly affected by skyrocketing inflation alike the public. She further added that the “Annadata” of the country was very much concerned about the extra expenditure on the cultivation of crops and fulfilling the family responsibilities. Therefore, keeping in mind the increasing costs of cultivation of crops, the Modi government should have fixed the MSP according to the C2+50 formula as advised by the Swaminathan Committee.
Women leader expressed that farmers were already grappling with inflation, high electricity rates, skyrocketing diesel oil prices, costly farm loans, high prices of farm machinery and agricultural inputs. Due to such miserable conditions the debt-ridden farmers were being forced to commit suicide day by day, she deplored.
