Govt hikes paddy MSP by Rs 80 per qtl, pulses by up to Rs 400 per qtl

New Delhi: The government has approved Rs 80 per quintal hike in paddy MSP, while support price of pulses has been raised by up to Rs 400 per quintal to encourage farmers increase area sown under Kharif crops this season.

The Union Cabinet had on June 7 approved the minimum support price of 14 kharif (summer-sown) crops. However, the decision was not announced amid farmers protest in many states including Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, seeking waiver of crop loans.

The Union Agriculture Ministry has now informed states and Union Territories through a letter about the hike in Kharif MSP for the 2017-18 crop year (July-June). The sowing operations have already started with onset of monsoon, which has been projected to be normal this year by the Met department. The announcement of MSP will help farmers in deciding which crop to grow.

The Centre buys rice and wheat at MSP, while in other crops it enters the market only when market rates fall below the support price. Last year, the Centre bought pulses from farmers and market to create 20 lakh tonnes of buffer stock.

According to the letter to the states, the Centre has approved Rs 80 per quintal hike in paddy MSP at Rs 1,550 for common grade variety and Rs 1,590 for 'A' grade variety. In pulses, the MSP has been hiked by up to Rs 400 per quintal. Tur MSP has been raised to Rs 5,450 from 5,050 a quintal, while support price of Moong dal has been increased to Rs 5,575 (including bonus) from Rs 5,225 per quintal.

Urad MSP is now Rs 5,400 per quintal against Rs 5,000 in the previous year.

According to the letter, cotton MSP has been raised by Rs 160 per quintal to Rs 4,020 per quintal for medium staple cotton and Rs 4,320 per quintal for long staple cotton.

The MSP of soyabean, a major crop in Madhya Pradesh, has been raised by Rs 275 per quintal to Rs 3,050 per quintal. Groundnut-in-shell and sunflower seed MSPs have been raised by Rs 230 and Rs 150 per quintal respectively.

The support price of groundnut-in-shell and sunflower seed now stands at Rs 4,450 per quintal and Rs 4,100 per quintal. Nigerseed MSP has been increased to Rs 4,050 from Rs 3,825 per quintal and sesamum MSP to Rs 5,300 from Rs 5,000 per quintal. Among coarse cereals, prices of maize have been raised by Rs 60 to Rs 1,425 per quintal.

Bajra MSP is up by Rs 95 to Rs 1,425, while ragi MSP has been increased by Rs 175 to Rs 1,900 per quintal. Jowar (hybrid) has been raised by Rs 75 per quintal to Rs 1,700 per quintal and jowar (maldandi) too by Rs 75 at Rs 1,725 per quintal. In terms of percentage, the maximum hike in MSP has been in ragi at 10.14 per cent, followed by soyabean at 9.91 per cent.

The government has approved Rs 200 higher MSP in case of tur, moong, urad, groundnut and soyabean than what it was suggested by the the statutory advisory body on farm prices CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices). It has given Rs 100 per quintal extra in case of sesamum, nigerseed and sunflower seed than recommended by the CACP.

With monsoon rains expected to be normal this year, the government is aiming to achieve yet another record foodgrain and horticulture production. The country achieved record foodgrains production of 273.38 million tonnes in the 2016-17 crop year, but bumper output has resulted in fall in market price and distress to farmers.