Chhattisgarh demands Centre's decision on paddy price

In a strategic move to take on opposition Congress, Chhattisgarh agriculture minister Chandrashekhar Sahu had dispatched a letter to the Government of India demanding a minimum support price of Rs 2100 for a quintal of paddy.

The development comes within a week of union minister of state for food Charandas Mahant putting the state government under the scanner for the nominal hike in the MSP. Mahant, who is also the working president of Chhattisgarh Congress, had said that the state government had recommended a nominal hike and he had documents to support.

"In the next press conference, I would produce the documents that showed BJP government's least concern for MSP hike," he told reporters. Mahant said the MSP was decided after seeking opinion from the state and Chhattisgarh had underlined that it was not concerned with the farmers' interest.

Before the Congress minister could put his foot forward, Chhattisgarh government's agriculture minister had come forward to defuse the opposition volley. "The Minister has demanded that the paddy support price should be increased to Rs 2100 per quintal in his letter to Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram," a state government communication released here Monday said.

Sahu said in his letter that hike of just Rs 60 per quintal in the MSP by the Union Government was insufficient and much to the disappointment of paddy producing farmers across the Chhattisgarh and other states. He alleged that the anti-farmers policies of Union Government had resulted in unexpected rise in food grain production cost and the government looked the other way when it came to give some respite to them.