MSP panel to be formed soon, says Agriculture secretary

Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agrawal did not specify when the committee will be set up and if it will be a permanent committee or one with a fixed tenure.

Farmers vacate a protest site, after the government agreed to their demands, including assurance to consider guaranteed prices for all produce, at the Singhu border. (Reuters)

A committee to decide on matters such as promotion of zero budgeting farming and making the minimum support price (MSP) more “effective and transparent”, will be constituted soon, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agrawal said on Monday.

Responding to a question about when the committee on zero budget farming and MSP would be set up, Agrawal said, “Very near future.” He added that the Prime Minister has already announced that zero-budget natural farming has to be taken up on a mission mode.

Agrawal was briefing the media about a December 14 event on natural farming in Anand, Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the valedictory function virtually on December 16.

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However, Agrawal did not specify when the committee will be set up. When asked if it will be a permanent committee or one with a fixed tenure, Agrawal said, “When the GO [government order] is issued, you will know everything.”

While addressing the nation on November 19 on the government’s decision to repeal three farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, “A committee will be constituted to decide on matters like promotion of zero budgeting farming i.e., natural farming, scientifically change the crop pattern keeping in mind the changing requirements of the country, and make MSP more effective and transparent. The committee will include representatives of the Central government, state governments, farmers, agricultural scientists and agricultural economists.”

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