Punjabnewsline, Chandigarh:

Central Government and Swaminathan Commission did not consider C2 and 50 percent profit while increasing the MSP of paddy: S. Sukhbir Singh Badal A demand was made to form a committee including representatives of farmers to calculate C-2 and 50 percent profit on all 14 saffron crops. Chandigarh, June 20: Shiromani Akali Dal President Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal today called for a scientific approach in fixing the MSP of all crops and insisted that while increasing the MSP of paddy by Rs 117. As per the recommendation of the Central Government and the Swaminathan Commission, 50 percent profit on cost was not taken into account.

The Akali Dal president also said that no increase has been made in the MSP of groundnut and maize, no mechanism has been fixed for the purchase of these crops at MSP. He said that the farmers of Punjab and other parts of the country have been left at the mercy of private players as the central government is not buying these crops at MSP. He said that in the case of Punjab, the farmers had to suffer a huge loss when they took groundnut seeds on a large scale on the appeal of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, but its MSP was not procured and the government ran away from its promise. Talking about the manner in which the MSP of paddy has been increased, Sardar Badal said that the comprehensive cost (C-2) including the cost of land, its contract cost while calculating the MSP should be calculated publicly. 

He said that the farmers rightly feel that they are not being properly respected and if this C-2 is not calculated properly, then they will not get the benefit of the MSP with 50 percent profit on C-2. He advocated the formation of a committee to calculate the MSP according to the cost of 14 crops of kharif after calculating 50 percent profit along with C-2 and farmer representatives should also be included in this committee. He said that if this committee is constituted immediately and a time is fixed for it to give its recommendations, then the MSP on all saffron crops can be fixed properly. Strongly advocating that the cost of production of the commodity should be calculated in the right way, Sardar Badal said that until this is done, the agricultural sector will not be able to come out of the economic crisis and the target set by the Prime Minister to double the income of farmers by the end of this year will be fulfilled.