The Narendra Modi government will procure all agricultural produce at the minimum support price, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
He gave this assurance while replying during the question and answer session regarding MSP to the farmers.
The claim came on a day when farmers marched to Delhi with a charter of demands, including legal support for the MSP.
“I would like to assure the households through you that all the produce of the farmers will be bought at minimum support price. This is the Modi government and it is a guarantee to fulfill Modi’s guarantee,’ Chauhan said in the House.
“When our friends from the other side were in power, they were on record saying that they could not accept the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan Commission, especially on giving 50 per cent more than the cost of production. I have a record,’ he said.
He cited former Minister of State for Agriculture Kantilal Bhuria, Agriculture Ministers Sharad Pawar and KV Thomas to support his claim.
Following his remarks, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked for documents to be placed on record to substantiate his claim, to which Chauhan agreed.
“They have never respected farmers and never seriously considered farmers’ demand for fair price. From 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to calculate the minimum support price by giving 50 percent of the production cost to the farmers,’ the minister claimed.
He also claimed that the Modi government is giving fair prices to the farmers by saying that they are buying paddy, wheat, sorghum, soybeans at 50 percent more than the cost of production compared to three years ago.
He also said that he intervened to change the export duty and price when the price of the commodity fell.
When asked by Congress member Jairam Ramesh about his views on MSP, Chauhan said, “I have a clear view on MSP. We will fix MSP for more than 50 per cent profit and will also purchase the produce of farmers.” He added, “You don’t buy farmer’s produce, we buy it and fix more MSP… When Congress was in power, they never bought farmer’s produce at MSP, but for me it is like ‘kisan ki seva’. ‘Bhagwan ki puja’.” Then recalling the words of the president, who holds the constitutional post, MSP president Dhankhar said he had traveled with the agriculture minister to the minister to talk to the farmers and assured them of his commitment to the farmers.
‘The minister was with me when I went and returned. I told the minister and assured him that the person known as ‘Ladli’ would also become ‘Kisanko Ladla’. I hope the ‘Urjawan’ (Energetic) minister whose name is synonymous with ‘Shivaraj’ will do it,” said Dhankhar.
“I have named you ‘kisan ke ladle’… I would have been happy if there had been an adjournment proposal from Jairam Ramesh, but it did not,” he said.
Asked by RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha whether the government is considering setting up an agricultural loan waiver framework, the minister said the government is working to increase farmers’ income.
“We believe in increasing the income of farmers and this government is continuously working towards it,” he said.
“Modi ji’s government works with foresight. We have to increase production, reduce cost of production, provide fair price of produce, provide compensation in case of loss of production, diversify agriculture, move towards natural farming and ensure that the income of farmers is increased so much that they cannot suffer under any circumstances. position to seek any farm loan waiver,” Chauhan said.