The Karnataka Krushik Sangha (KKS) has strongly criticised the meagre increase of 1 to 4 percent in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for kharif crops for 2016-17 and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a sympathetic view of the plight of farmers .
In a statement issued here recently, KKS State president Mallikarjun Jakati said that the Union Cabinet committee on economic affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, had approved MSP for kharif crops effective from October 1, 2016.
The approved MSP was based on recommendations of the commission for agricultural costs and prices (CACP) by taking into account the cost of production, overall demand-supply, domestic and international prices, inter-crop price parity, terms of trade between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, among others. He said that owing to the gap in the demand and domestic supply of pulses and oilseeds, the committee decided to give a bonus, over and above the recommendations of the CACP of Rs. 425per quintal for kharif pulses, namely arhar (Tur), urad and moong; a bonus of Rs. 200 per quintal for sesamum and a bonus of Rs.100 per quintal for kharif oilseeds, namely Groundnut-in-shell, sunflower seed, soyabean, and nigerseed.
But the fact was that the increase in MSPs was too meagre considering steep increase in prices of farm inputs and cost of operations and crop management, including cost of labour, transport, etc, they added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had promised to take concrete measures to increase farmers’ income by 50 per cent, which doesn’t reflect in its policies and the latest MSPs for kharif crops.
Also, the government seems to have not taken into account the impact of two years of drought, they said.
He said that the incomes of government employees keep on increasing but a similar income growth of farmers is not happening since Independence.
The centre should increase MSPs by at least 10 to 15 per cent this year, Mr. Jakati added.
Minimum Support Prices have been increased from 1 to 4 per cent for kharif crops for 2016-17
