A farmers' body today hit out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government over the fixing of minimum support prices (MSP) of crops.
All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), 36 Canning Lane accused Modi of "betraying" distressed farmers by not keeping the promise of fixing remunerative MSP at least 50 per cent above the cost of production.
The Centre yesterday sharply hiked the MSP for pulses by up to Rs 275 per quintal for this year to boost domestic output and check price rise, while making a modest increase of Rs 50 in paddy MSP to Rs 1,410 per quintal.
The farmers' wing of CPI(M) said the MSPs announced by Centre for 2015-16 kharif crops do not meet even the cost of production and in most cases, the increase is ranging "merely" from Rs 15 to Rs 50 per quintal.
This does not reflect the actual costs of production and increasing input costs, it said.
"The NDA government and Prime Minister have yet again betrayed the farmers in distress by going back on their promise of fixing remunerative minimum support prices (MSPs) at least 50 per cent above the cost of production.
"The MSPs announced for kharif crops 2015-16 does not meet even the cost of production and in most cases the increase is ranging merely from Rs 15 to Rs 50 per quintal. This does not reflect the actual costs of production and increasing input costs," AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah and president Amra Ram said in a joint statement.
Referring to MSPs of paddy, ragi, jowar and moong, they said the same falls below cost of production in most states.
In addition, the BJP government has issued an order stating that there would be no procurement from states providing bonus over and above the MSP, AIKS said.
They noted that the announcement of MSPs for kharif crops 2015-16 comes at a time when deficient rainfall during the last kharif and unseasonal rains and hailstorm in rabi season had caused fall in production of foodgrains by over 5.3 per cent according to government's own figures.
"The crop losses due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm in the rabi season as well as the unprecedented suicides and death of affected farmers have not been taken into account at all by government. Its announcement is making a mockery of the plight of farmers," Mollah and Ram accused.
They also urged AIKS units to protest against BJP government's insensitive decision and launch massive campaign exposing the BJP Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's doublespeak.
