Not enough: Congress, SAD, farm unions on paddy MSP hike
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal says the “marginal” increase did not take into account the comprehensive cost plus 50% profit as mandated by the Swaminathan Commission.
The Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal, along with farmer unions, on Thursday termed as eyewash the Central government’s move to hike paddy’s minimum support price (MSP) by ₹117 per quintal.
Partap Singh Bajwa, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, slammed the Union government for “failing” to legalise the MSP. “It is too little, too late. The BJP government is trying to pacify the protesting farmers with such tactics. Their long pending demand is a legal guarantee for the MSP in accordance with the MS Swaminathan Committee’s formula of comprehensive cost (C2) plus 50% profit,” he said.
“The input cost of farming has increased multifold with the growing prices of diesel, fertilisers, pesticides and labour. The BJP has not taken these facts into account. By publicising such a slight hike in MSP, the BJP wants to take benefit in the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana,” Bajwa added.
Lambasting the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government for its “dilly-dallying” approach in clearing the silt in the water channels and drainages besides strengthening the embankments, Bajwa said the state government appeared to have learned a zero lesson from floods that wreaked havoc in 2023.
Meanwhile, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, rejecting the paddy MSP hike of ₹117, said the “marginal” increase did not take into account the comprehensive cost plus 50% profit as mandated by the Swaminathan Commission. “Though the MSPs of both moong and maize have been increased, no mechanism is in place to procure these crops on MSP,” he said.
Speaking about the paddy MSP hike, he said, “The entire process of calculating the comprehensive cost (C2), including the imputed land cost and its rent value, should be put into public domain.”
At the same time, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said the Centre’s paddy MSP hike was a “cruel joke”. “During poll campaign, it was promised to increase the paddy MSP to ₹3,100 a quintal, but it has been again proved that the government’s promise was a jumla (hollow promise).”
Jagmohan Singh Uppal, general secretary of the BKU (Dakounda), said the fresh MSP hike didn’t match the inflation. “A hike of 50% over input cost is far from reality,” he added.
