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Pawar assures Badal of increase in paddy MSP

CHANDIGARH: The Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday assured Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that the Centre would soon announce an adequate hike in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and bonus for the paddy crop well before the start of procurement season. This would be done to compensate the expenses of farmers in remunerative terms for high costs of agricultural inputs.

Mr. Pawar assured the Chief Minister that he would soon address all the pending issues of the Punjab Government relating to Agriculture and also directed the Secretary Food Distribution and Consumer Affairs to immediately enhance the quota of foodgrains under Public Distribution System for Above Poverty Line (APL) families in Punjab. According to an official release here the assurances were given by Mr. Pawar who met Punjab Chief Minister at the Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi. Mr. Badal demanded the fixation of MSP of common variety of Paddy and Grade-A variety at Rs.1,400 and Rs.1,500 per quintal respectively. He sought to remind that during the last season the Union Government had fixed Rs.850 and Rs.880 as MSP for every quintal of common and grade-A varieties respectively against the recommendation of Rs.1,000 by the Costs and Prices Commission for Agriculture. Mr. Badal emphasised that debt-ridden farmers of Punjab deserved much needed support to allow them to continue contributing foodgrains to the Central Pool to suitably meet the national food security requirements.

Mr. Badal also impressed upon Mr. Pawar to ensure timely arrangements for uninterrupted supply of 4.8 lakh MT of DAP fertilizer to Punjab before the onset of the Rabi season. He sought Mr. Pawar’s permission to export wheat and rice to the international market as done by Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation and State Trading Corporation on behalf of the Centre.

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