Farmers hail Congress’ promise in Rajasthan to provide legal guarantee of MSP

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Farmers body Kisan Mahapanchayat said that it supports the Congress party’s promise of a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) in Rajasthan. They said that it would pave the way for guaranteed prices of crops in other states as well when the pressure builds up. Congress has also promised to fix the MSP on the Swaminathan formula in Rajasthan.

“This will make the country’s politics more focused and change the direction of the economy because the path to the country’s prosperity lies through farms and welfare,” said Kisan Mahapanchayat’s president Rampal Jat. The proportion in which political parties will support the farmers. Farmers will support that political party in the same proportion. Farmers will support any political party in same proportion at which the political party supports in terms of farmer-friendly measures, Jat added.

Listing the immediate priorities if it comes to power in Rajasthan, the Congress party in its manifesto has said that it is committed to enact a special law to guarantee MSP, which will be based on Swaminathan committee recommendations. Such a law will help ensure reasonable profit for the farmers for their crops, it said.

Among other agriculture-related issues, the Congress has also promised that all farmers will be eligible to receive up to ₹2 lakh each interest-free loan from cooperative banks, extend the 12 sector-specific missions to more areas, present a detailed plan for the sequential implementation of the East Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) and launch a new crop insurance scheme in association with public sector insurance companies to make the claims settlement process well organised.

The Centre has already implemented 50 per cent profit over costs while fixing the MSP since 2018. However, farmers have been demanding the cost of production should be based on comprehensive cost (C2) as recommended by the Swaminathan committee and not the current formula of A2+family labour (A2+FL).

Jat pointed out that even after 45 days of the announcement made by cooperation minister Amit Shah for 100 per cent purchase of pulses, oilseeds and maize, Orders for its implementation have not yet been issued by the agriculture ministry.

However, he noted that BJP has promised to raise wheat MSP to ₹2,700/quintal (from current ₹2,275/quintal), to double the target of procurement of pulses and oilseeds in five years while ensuring to raise the actual procurement at MSP to 3-times more from current level in next five years.

Stressing that the MSP guarantee is an effective legal measure for farmer welfare, he said the move in Rajasthan will show the way in other states and finally put pressure at a national level as seen in the Chhattisgarh model. When Chhattisgarh ensured paddy farmers get ₹2,500/quintal when its MSP was ₹1,750/quintal in 2018, now higher MSP has been promised for paddy and wheat by both BJP and Congress in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana, Jat said.