Explained: How many farmers are aware about MSP?

NEW DELHI: Parliament on Monday passed a bill to repeal the three farm laws, but the agitation that started in November last year is still not over.
The protesting farmers now want MSP, which is the minimum support price, to be legalised.
For farmers, MSP is a safety net that assures minimum price to them for their produce.
Over the years the government has fixed MSP for 23 crops. However, the bulk of procurement is limited to wheat and paddy.
While the farmers are now demanding a law to guarantee MSP, it is interesting to note that not at all farmers are aware of the safety net provided by the government to them.
As the table below shows, it is only the sugarcane and paddy farmers who are most aware about MSP in both the cropping seasons, Rabi and Kharif.

As is evident majority of the farmers are not aware about MSP.
Only 4.3% of farmers who grow Ragi in the Rabi season are aware about MSP. This figure stands at 11% for farmers who grow coconut.
Similarly in the Kharif season, only 12% of farmers growing coconut and 14.3% of farmers growing Jowar know about MSP.
Among the farmers who are aware about the MSP, if we look at the percentage of them who know about the process of procurement or who have actually sold their produce to procurement agencies is still lower.