Sreelatha Menon’s article “The growing irrelevance of MSP” (November 2) is a stark reminder of the helplessness of farmers. The “crop holiday” in Andhra Pradesh should serve as a wake-up call. Farming is no longer remunerative and given a choice, farmers would like to abandon it.
The minimum support price (MSP) does not realistically cover rising labour costs, input costs and family labour. People who talk of cash compensation are not in touch with ground realities. As recommended by the National Commission on Farmers headed by M S Swaminathan, the MSP should cover the total cost of production and an additional 50 per cent.
Ramadhar, Patna
