THIRUVANANATHAPURAM: In the wake of the Union government's direction to states to consider discontinuing announcement of bonus over and above Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy and wheat, BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar has urged the Centre to exclude Kerala from the proposal.
In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chandrasekhar urged that Kerala be excluded from discontinuation of bonus for paddy in view of its "specific agricultural, ecological and food security considerations".
The Centre had given the direction in view of surplus food stocks, fiscal burden and sustainability concerns. However, Chandrasekhar pointed out that the inclusion of Kerala alongside states having surplus production may not accurately reflect the actual situation.
In the letter, the BJP chief pointed out that Kerala has been governed by political fronts that have largely neglected the concerns of paddy farmers particularly with respect to production costs, procurement mechanisms and marketing support.
He added that many farmers were compelled to depend on private money lenders, leading to severe financial stress. "The Government of Kerala has not announced any additional bonus over and above MSP for paddy or wheat in the manner followed by certain states with surplus production," Chandrasekhar said.
The BJP leader added that Kerala has witnessed a steady and long term decline in paddy acreage and production over the decades and is not a state with surplus production contributing to excess central stocks.
Chandrasekhar's request to the Centre came in the wake of reports that the Central direction, if implemented, could reduce the price received by paddy farmers in Kerala by over Rs six per kilogram, raising concerns about a major impact on the state’s farming community.