Farmer unions to intensify protest amid demands to legalize Minimum Support Price
2 min read . Updated: 24 Apr 2023, 10:24 AM IST
Premium- While announcing the repeal of three farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to set up a committee to discuss the farmers’ demand for a legal guarantee on MSP
Various farmer unions are gearing up to register their protest after a recent letter from the Union ministry of food and public distribution o stated that for wheat with shrivelled and broken content of 6-8%, a value cut of ₹5.31 will be imposed; for 8-10% a value cut of ₹10.62; 10-12% ₹15.93; 12-14% ₹21.25; 14-16% ₹26.56 and for 16-18% shrivelled and broken grain a value cut of ₹31.87 will be imposed.
Untimely rains accompanied by hail storms and high-velocity winds caused extensive damage to wheat and other crops at many places in Punjab, including in Fazilka, Muktsar, Moga and Patiala districts in March and April this year.
The rough weather had an impact on around 14 lakh hectare out of total sown area of 34.90 lakh hectare and it was anticipated that there would be an adverse impact on overall yield of the crop.
However, during the crop-cutting experiments, the state agriculture department witnessed an average yield of 47.24 quintals per hectare or 19 quintals per acre.
With the results of the crop-cutting experiments, the department expects that the wheat output would be 160-165 lakh metric tonne.
Meanwhile, on social media ‘ Legalize MSP’ has been trending and various users on Twitter is asking the government to legalize it . The government last year had formed a committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP), eight months after it promised to set up such a panel while withdrawing the three contentious farm laws.
Besides MSP, the committee will look at ways to promote natural farming, crop diversification, and micro irrigation scheme and suggest strategies for making Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and other Research and Development institutions as knowledge centres.
While announcing the repeal of three farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to set up a committee to discuss the farmers’ demand for a legal guarantee on MSP.