The question of whether the government will work up a law to provide a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) on agricultural produce has once again come up in the parliament.

On Friday, the Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the BJP-led NDA government is constantly increasing MSP on food grains in view of farmers’ welfare.

Chouhan made the remarks in Rajya Sabha after the Opposition asked about for an update on providing legal guarantee on MSP. The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister replied by saying, “I would like to state that serving farmers for us is like worshipping God,” adding that the government has formed a panel has been formed to explore ways to make the MSP system more transparent and effective.

MSP on Bajra @ Rs 2,625, Corn @….

Chouhan stated that the MSP for Bajra rose from Rs 1,250 in 2013 to Rs 2,625. Similarly, the MSP for corn increased from Rs 1,310 to Rs 2,225. The MSP for wheat went up from Rs 1,400 to Rs 2,275, and the MSP for Tur grew from Rs 4,500 to Rs 7,550.

Additionally, he said, the committee has been asked to examine the feasibility of giving greater autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and ways to make it more scientific.

To ensure higher prices of crops for farmers, a mandate has also been given to the committee to suggest steps for strengthening the agricultural marketing system in line with the changing needs of the country. This committee is also working on issues like natural farming and crop diversification, the minister said.

Opposition fumes

The debate over MSP created a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha after opposition leaders including Randeep Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh accused Chouhan of deviating from the question.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar tried to diffuse the situation, saying the minister had given a detailed reply and if the members were not satisfied, they should use available avenues to seek answers.

Dhankhar repeatedly asked the members to allow the proceedings to continue and also threatened to name members for disrupting the House.

With inputs from agencies

Link to article – 

Will Modi govt bring law to give legal guarantee of MSP? Agri minister keeps everyone guessing