VIJAYAWADA: Even as the Centre has increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for several agriculture products, the State government is of the view that the hike is not matching with the proposals sent by it. Further, the government observed that the Centre should take the responsibility of procuring agriculture produce apart from announcing MSP.The Centre on Wednesday announced the MSP for various crops. However, the State government, which has already sent proposals to the Centre on MSP after estimating the cost of cultivation and production, said that MSP announced by the Centre for various crops is lower than that recommended by it.
Speaking to TNIE, Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said that after estimating the cultivation cost of different crops for Kharif, the government has sent proposals to the Centre on MSP. “The MSP announced by the Centre is lower than what we have suggested,” the minister claimed.
He said that the Centre, which is supposed to procure 60 per cent of agriculture produce, is procuring only 40 per cent. However, the Centre is procuring nearly 80 per cent of agriculture produce in the BJP- administered States, he alleged.
Observing that there will be no use with the hike in MSP if the Centre is not procuring at least 60 per cent of agriculture produce, he wanted the it to take steps in that direction. Meanwhile, former Agriculture Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao said that the Union Cabinet’s decision with regard to MSP is not matching with the recommendation made by the Swaminathan Commission. He, however, welcomed the hike of MSP on products like coarse grains and oil seeds.
Meanwhile, YSRC farmers wing president MVS Nagi Reddy alleged that the Centre has taken the decision with the coming elections in mind. “Of course, one might come to the conclusion that the MSP announced by the Centre is more this year, but we should not forget that the same government has announced marginal hike in MSP in the past four years,” he said. For instance, the Centre has increased MSP of paddy by `200 this year. But during the past four years, the hike was very low, he said.