VIJAYAWADA: Vice chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Agriculture Mission (APSAM) MVS Nagi Reddy has written a letter to the chairperson of the Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP) to consider the actual cost of cultivation, which has shot up significantly over the years, while recommending the minimum support price (MSP) to Kharif crops during 2020-21.
The CACP is scheduled to hold a meeting with stakeholders from southern states, in Vijayawada on Friday to take views for formulating its recommendations on price policy.
In the letter, the vice chairman of APSAM informed the CAPC that the MSP of three major crops - paddy, groundnut and cotton - in the state, which constitute up to 76 per cent of the total Kharif cultivation, have not been on par with the increasing cost of cultivation over the past three years. He sought to know how doubling farmers income by 2022 would be a possibility at this rate.
Nagi Reddy argued that while the per quintal cost of cultivation of paddy (common), paddy (grade-A), cotton (long staple), groundnut and red gram were Rs 1,895, Rs 2,316, Rs 5,355, Rs 5,190 and Rs 6,069 in 2019-20, the MSP were Rs 1,815, Rs 1,835, Rs 5,550, Rs 5,090 and Rs 5,800 respectively.
"The data shows why farmers are in crisis. About 80 percent of crops in the past three years have not realised MSP. Also, ground reality is not reflected in the actual cost of cultivation as labour cost is not taken into account while finalising the mechanisation cost," he explained.
“Hence, I request you to do justice to farmers of Andhra Pradesh by taking into consideration the actual cost of cultivation while recommending the MSP prices for Kharif 2020-21,” Nagi Reddy urged. He will submit the letter along with a detailed report on price comparison of actual cost of cultivation and MSP announced in the last three years in the Friday’s CACP meeting.