The State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kisan Morcha president Sandeep Sharma has said that the Union Minister of State for Agriculture Charandas Mahant fixed the paddy support price at Rs 1,310 per quintal and later announced the same at Rs 2,000 per quintal in the Congress party’s manifesto in Chhattisgarh.
In a statement issued here, Sharma said that the Union Government last year had fixed the support price for paddy at Rs 1,250 per quintal and hiked barely Rs 60 per quintal to Rs 1,310 per quintal this year. Sharma said that the Raman Singh government was the first to propose the paddy support price of Rs 2,000 per quintal which was rejected by the Centre.
The Congress had compelled the farmers to commit suicide due to the debt burden on them,he said adding, the Raman Singh Government brought the interest rate on farmer loans to one per cent and now promises to offer interest free loans, he said.