Paddy growers in Punjab,Haryana upset with Rs 100 a qtl hike

Paddy farmers in Punjab and Haryana called for fixing the minimum price at least Rs 1,500 per quintal.

Terming the hike of Rs 100 per quintal in Minimum Support Price (MSP) “too small” and a “cruel blow” for the distressed paddy growers,farmers in Punjab and Haryana called for fixing the minimum price at least Rs 1,500 per quintal on Thursday.

“It (the new rate) is like playing a cruel joke with the farmers who have spent huge amount of money to save their paddy crop in view of the erratic monsoon during this Kharif season 2009-10,” Bharitya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) President Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said on Thursday.

Describing the hike as insufficient,Lakhowal said the new MSP by the Centre is too less to cover for the money spent by the farmers on diesel for irrigation.

To protest the meager rise,BKU has decided to hold a rally in Delhi on September 3,to pressurize the government into increasing the rates further.

BKU says the Centre should link MSP with price index,whereby the minimum price is calculated at Rs 1,520 per quintal.

Protesting the paltry rise,Hissar farmer Vijayender Singh said,”During this year,because of deficient rain and power shortage,farmers spent over Rs 2,000 per acre paddy crop,resulting into quantum jump in the cost of cultivation.”

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today raised the paddy MSP by Rs 100 per quintal. Now the MSP for common variety of paddy stands at Rs 950 per quintal and for A-grade variety at Rs 980 per quintal.

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Agriculture experts have also agree the hike of Rs 100 a quintal is “inadequate” for meeting the additional cost of cultivation owing to scanty rain.

“The hike should have been Rs 50 per quintal over and above the suggested price of Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices for farmers to compensate for their surge in input cost,” Punjab State Farmers’ Commission Marketing economist P S Rangi said.

Commission for Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP) had suggested an increase of Rs 100 per quintal in paddy MSP for 2009-10 crop at Rs 950 per quintal for common and Rs 980 for Grade-A.

According to experts,the cost of cultivation of paddy in Punjab and Haryana would increase by over Rs 2000 per acre because of scanty rain and power shortage.

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Although Punjab has been able to recover from this crisis like situation by almost matching the area under paddy with last year’s sowing level,Haryana saw a dip in area under paddy by 1.20 lakh hectares this season.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had demanded Rs 2,000 per acre for the farmers.

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