Bhubaneswar: The union minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Saturday said that the demand to hike the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy to Rs 2930/q by Odisha if conceded would create anarchy crop market.
” State specific MSP for crops would create anarchy in the country”, Shekhawat said while delivering his keynote address at the OTV’s annual convention Foresight 2018, here on Saturday.
“The MSP hike cannot be state specific”, he clarified while adding, ” The move cannot be a solution to increase income of farmers as input costs are also going up proportionately every year.”
The Odisha state assembly has unanimously resolved demanding Rs 2930/q for paddy as against the present MSP of Rs 1550/q. The state’s proposal has been rejected by the Centre. The House Committee on MSP, which has sought an audience of the prime minister, is yet to get it.
Shekhawat said said reducing the input costs can be the way to lessen burden on farmers. Moreover, he added, the income of farmers can be increased by providing right quality seed and input subsidy.
The minister said that the farmers in the state suffered due to the brown plant hopper (Leeda Insect) because they were not provided right advisory. Ironically the pesticide that had been used were helpful for the pest to grow, he said adding, some pesticide were not effective.
“The Thaimate pesticide, which famers used, provided fodder to the brown plant hopper pest thereby causing greater damage to crop last year,” said Shekhawat while speaking on the topic ‘Mission 2022: The key implications of MSP, threats & opportunities’ at the convention.
