Demanding Rs1,900 minimum support price (MSP) for wheat instead of Rs1,400 per quintal, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday send a detailed proposal to the Central Government seeking hike in MSP of rabi crops for 2014-15.
The move came after Badal cleared the State’s proposal asking the Centre to make an upward revision in MSP of various crops for rabi 2014-15 over the corresponding MSP during 2013-14.
The State Agriculture Department forwarded a detailed proposal to the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) for seeking hike in MSP of wheat from Rs1,400 in 2013-14 to Rs1,900 per quintal in 2014-15. likewise, the department has also sought an upward revision in the MSP of barley from Rs1,100 to Rs1,517 per quintal.
As per the proposal forwarded to CACP, it has been sought that MSP of grams be hiked from Rs3,100 to Rs3,627 per quintal and that of rapeseed and mustard from Rs3,050 to Rs3,484 per quintal.
Chief Minister categorically said that the hike in MSP of rabi crops during 2014-15 was necessitated to boost crop diversification plan especially for promotion of crops like barley, grams, rapeseed and mustard in the State.
The move would not only benefit the state’s peasantry substantially but also help the State to arrest the trend of declining ground water, added Badal.
It may be recalled that the State Government under its ambitious agriculture diversification program had already planned to reduce the area under paddy cultivation from 28 lakh hectares to 12 lakh hectares over a period of five years.