By PTI
NEW DELHI: BSP Lok Sabha member Danish Ali on Saturday accused the central government of failing to give a “satisfactory answer” to his demand for making a law on Minimum Support Price in the Winter Session of Parliament.
He also claimed that Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar is “simply trying to avoid the real issue by just explaining the process of MSP”.
The Lower House member from Uttar Pradesh, where elections are underway, shared a letter from Tomar on Twitter to drive home his point. Ali had raised the issue of legislation on MSP during the Zero Hour on December 1 last year. Responding to the issue, the Union minister wrote to the BSP MP on February 21.
The central government, Tomar wrote, announces MSP for 22 major agricultural commodities of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) each year in both the crop seasons after taking into account the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
In addition, MSP for toria and de-husked coconut is also fixed on the basis of MSPs of rapeseed and mustard and copra respectively, the minister noted.
“The government also extends remunerative price to farmers through its various interventions schemes. Besides, the overall market also responds to the declaration of MSP and government’s procurement operations, which results in private procurement on or above the MSP for various notified crops,” Tomar informed.
The government, the minister said, extends price support for paddy and wheat through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies. Also, different types of Nutri-cereals and maize are procured by state governments themselves in consultation with FCI so that they can distribute them under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) as well as other welfare schemes.
Oilseeds, pulses and copra of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) are procured from registered farmers under the price support scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), he said in his letter. Cotton and jute are also procured by the government at MSP through Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and Jute Corporation of India (JCI).
For making effective procurement by government agencies at MSP and providing maximum benefits of MSP to farmers, procurement centres are opened by respective state government agencies and central nodal agencies like NAFED and FCI after taking into account the production, marketable surplus, convenience of farmers and availability of other logistics and infrastructure, Tomar explained.
Claiming that he is not satisfied with the response, Ali said “this exposes the insensitivity of the government towards farmers’ issues.”
