NEW DELHI, July 28: Farmers across the country are in a quandary as the Central Government is yet to decide on the minimum support price (MSP) for the kharif crop. Usually farmers' decision on the crops to be sowed depends on the Government's indication of the price to be given.With the eleventh consecutive normal monsoon now two months old, the Government decision is all the more baffling because farmers must have already made their choices. As of now, the Government is yet to announce the MSP for a number of kharif crops, notably paddy, coarse cereals, pulses, oilseeds and cotton.The national conference on kharif, which took place earlier in the summer, even discussed kharif crop production strategy and fixed tentative targets. Later the Government announced a foodgrain target output for the year to be about 204 million tonnes.According to sources, the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices has already given its recommendations to the Government. Though the Government is not bound to acceptall of the CACP's recommendations, it provides a useful indication.In any case, the MSP for kharif crops is generally indicated to the farmers before the onset of the monsoon. Late announcements do not help the farmers as they make their crop choices as the monsoon breaks.
