Government failed to provide relief to farmers; says Yechury after Centre hikes MSP for Kharif crops
Jun 02, 2020
New Delhi [India], June 2 : Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury lashed out at the Centre over what he claimed was only a slight increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for 14 Kharif crops, which would further harm the interests of the farmers.
This cannot be a greater untruth. I have a figure what is the MSP announced last year and what is the MSP announced today. For paddy, the increase is just Rs 53 per quintal. Between last year and this year the cost of production has gone up much more than the MSP announced today. Farmers are already committing suicide due to COVID-19 and lockdown, their situation is already at the very worst," Yechury told ANI here.
"Farmers are selling off to government and now the government is saying that they have bumper procurement because they cannot sell anywhere else due to lockdown. This is direct cheating with the Annadata," Yechury added.
In a move that will help farmers, the Centre has increased MSP for 14 Kharif crops by 50-83 per cent.
The government has hiked MSP for paddy by Rs 53 per quintal to Rs 1,868 per quintal for the year 2020-21, while the MSP for cotton has been increased by Rs 260 to Rs 5,515 per quintal, among others.
