Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, on December 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Narendra Modi government will purchase all farm produce at minimum support price, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in Rajya Sabha on Friday (December 6, 2024).
He gave the assurance while answering supplementaries during Question Hour on the issue of MSP to farmers.
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The assertion came on a day when farmers embarked on a foot march to Delhi with a charter of demands, which includes a legal backing to MSP.
“I want to assure the house through you that all produce of farmers will be purchased at minimum support price. This is the Modi government and the guarantee to fulfil Modi’s guarantee,” Mr. Chouhan told the house.
“When our friends from the other side were in power, they had stated on record that they cannot accept the M.S. Swaminathan Commission recommendations, especially on giving 50% more than the cost of produce. I have the record,” he said.
He cited former MoS Agriculture Kantilal Bhuria, Agriculture Ministers Sharad Pawar, and K.V. Thomas to back his claim.
After his remarks, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked him to place on record the documents to substantiate his claim, which Mr. Chouhan agreed to.
“They have never honoured the farmers and never gave a serious consideration to farmers’ demands for remunerative prices. I want to assure the house through you that since 2019 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to calculate the minimum support price by giving 50 per cent profit on cost of production to farmers,” the Minister claimed.
He also claimed the Modi government is already giving remunerative prices to farmers, saying that paddy wheat, jowar, soyabean were being purchased at 50% above the cost of production from three years ago.
He also cited intervention in changing export duties and prices whenever rates of commodities fall.
Asked by Congress member Jairam Ramesh on his thoughts on MSP, Chouhan said, “I have a clear thought about MSP. We will fix MSP at more than 50 per cent profit and purchase the produce of farmers too.” He added, “You did not purchase the farmers’ produce, we will purchase that and fix higher MSP… When Congress was in power, they never purchased farmers’ produce at MSP and farmers shed tears of blood, but for me ‘kisan ki sewa’ is like ‘bhagwan ki pooja’.” Mr. Ramesh then recalled the words of the Chairman, who holds a constitutional post, to the Minister to speak to farmers on MSP Chairman Dhankhar said he had travelled with the Agriculture Minister and was assured of his commitment towards farmers.
“The Minister was with me while going and coming back. I told the minister and was assured that the person who was known as ‘ladli’ will become ‘kisan ka ladla’ too. I am hopeful that the ‘urjawan‘ [energetic] minister, synonymous with his name ‘Shivraj’, will make this happen,” Mr. Dhankhar said.
“I have named you as ‘Kisan ke ladle’… I would have been happy had there been any adjournment motion from Jairam Ramesh, but it did not come,” he said.
Asked by RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha on whether the government was considering setting up a farm loan waiver framework, the minister said the government is working towards increasing farmers’ income instead.
“We believe in increasing the income of farmers and this government is continuously working towards that,” he said.
“Modi ji’s government works with farsightedness. We will increase production, reduce cost of production, provide remunerative prices for the produce, provide compensation in case of loss of produce, will bring diversification in agriculture, turn towards natural farming and ensure that farmers income increases so much that they are not in a position to seek any farm loan waiver,” Mr. Chouhan said.
Published – December 06, 2024 03:41 pm IST