VIJAYAWADA: State CPI secretary K Ramakrishna on Thursday urged the Centre to reconsider the recently announced Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, and enhance it in proportion to the rising input costs.
He criticised the Centre’s MSP announcement for the 2025-26 Kharif season, alleging that it failed to address the financial burden of farmers, and reflected a dismissive attitude, particularly towards paddy ryots. The Centre announced MSP for 14 Kharif crops, including paddy. However, the MSP increase for paddy, a widely cultivated crop, was a mere Rs 69 per quintal, which he described as a token gesture.
Other crops saw nominal hike, which include maize (Rs 175), tur dal (Rs 450), urad dal (Rs 400), moong dal (Rs 86), groundnut (Rs 480), sunflower (Rs 441), and cotton (Rs 589). According to Ramakrishna, these hikes are grossly inadequate, compared to the escalating cost of farm inputs. The cost of cultivating an acre of paddy has increased from Rs 30,000 last year to over Rs 40,000 this year. In contrast, the Rs 69 MSP hike for paddy this year is significantly lower than last year’s increase of Rs 117, he said, terming it a burden put on farmers’ heads.