Citing the challenges faced due to labour shortage and the need for ensuring food safety amid the COVID-19 crisis, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider an MSP of Rs 2,902 per quintal for paddy, along with Rs 100 per quintal as incentive bonus to check stubble burning.
Capt Amarinder, in a letter to the Prime Minister, said that the State had already written to the Ministry of Agriculture recommending Rs 2902 Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy as calculated by the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, against last year’s MSP of Rs 1,835 per quintal.
“Given the need to ensure food safety in the time of present pandemic, it is imperative that farmers may be given appropriate price signal by announcing a remunerative MSP for paddy,” stressed Capt Amarinder, seeking the Prime Minister’s personal consideration in the matter as well as on the issue of incentive bonus.
The Chief Minister noted that Punjab was successfully moving, in the nation’s service, towards meeting its target of wheat procurement, notwithstanding challenges imposed by lockdown and health safety concerns of social distancing.
Post wheat procurement, paddy transplantation in the State was scheduled to commence in mid-June and may require to be slightly advanced due to shortage of labour in the State, he observed.
Noting that “it is unlikely that we will see much seasonal labour coming from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for paddy transplantation due to Covid,” Capt Amarinder expressed concern at serious challenges this could pose for farming operations in the coming paddy season, besides leading to escalation in labour costs.
The Chief Minister further underlined the importance of providing farmers a non-burning bonus at the rate of Rs 100 per quintal to defray their expenses in handling of paddy straw, thus preventing the burning of paddy stubble. In this context, he also pointed to the Supreme Court directions, asking the Centre and States to work out an incentive structure to overcome the problem of paddy stubble burning.
“This monetary incentive deserves to be announced ex-ante, that is along with the MSP, to allow farmers to prepare for its management and for the State to work towards proper implementation,” stressed Capt Amarinder, adding that this bonus would also help incentivize desired behaviour and encourage farmers to move to better and ecologically sustainable farm practices.