MUMBAI: The Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, today asked the state government not to test the patience of farmers and demanded that it promulgate an ordinance making the purchase of farm produce below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) an offence.
Vikhe Patil said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced last year that his government would bring a legislation to make MSP mandatory and its violation a criminal offence.
"However, the government has not been able to prepare even a draft of this legislation," he said.
Vikhe Patil said that while the MSP for tur was Rs 5,400 per quintal, farmers were getting only Rs 4,200 for it.
He added that there were written complaints in different parts of the state that even soyabean had been procured at levels less than the MSP.
"The government, despite this, still does not feel the need to intervene and address the grievances of farmers," he alleged.