BENGALURU: While Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s budgetary announcement to ensure a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of at least one-and-a-half times their production cost has received accolades, the challenge of its implementation to ease the distress in the farm sector could prove a daunting task for the Modi government. The seriousness of the challenge has forced Modi to convene a two-day ‘National Conference for Agriculture’ in New Delhi on February 19 and 20 to evolve the mechanism to fulfil the promise.
The NITI Ayog has been involved in evolving the mechanism with participation from all the agri-related departments of the Union government, state governments, farmers’ representatives and agriculture experts. Karnataka Farmers’ Association president Kurubur Shantha Kumar too has been invited to participate in the ‘National Conference for Agriculture’ to present his suggestions to prepare a roadmap for realising Modi’s promise to double farmers’ income by 2022.
“A strong legal and institutional mechanism needs to be put in place if the Modi government is serious in implementing its promise on MSP. We will make a strong pitch for providing legal framework by bringing a legislation to prosecute those who purchase agriculture produce from farmers at below the MSP. Only such a strong measure could help to curb the middlemen who are playing havoc with the lives of farmers,” Shantha Kumar said.
“While Union Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh is set to interact with farmers’ leaders, agriculture experts and agriculture secretaries from all the states will be in Delhi for two days on February 19 and 20. Prime Minister Modi will be present through the sessions on the valedictory day,” he said.
Extending MSP scheme to all the crops, instead of the present system which covers just 43 crops is among the suggestions that top the list of Shantha Kumar.
