: MDMK chief Vaiko today demanded withdrawal of the Central Government's notification, directing the state governments not to give any bonus apart from the Minimum Support Price given by the Centre for paddy.
In a statement here, he said the July 8 notification of the Centre urged the state governments to offer only the support price fixed by it and not any bonus or incentive.
The notification also said the Food Corporation of India would not procure more than the quantity fixed for the Central Pool, if the states offered incentive price or bonus apart from what was given by the central government.
Vaiko alleged that the Centre issued the notification as per directions of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which would only make the farm sector fall sick further.
The World Bank has been insisting on complete cancellation of subsidies given for public distribution.
With the previous UPA government withdrawing the fertiliser subsidy, the price of chemical fertilisers had increased manifold and the present government was also intensifying its actions towards reducing subsidies, he said.
At a time when farmers are demanding Rs 2,500 per quintal of paddy, it was unfair on the part of the central government to ban incentive given by the state governments, he said.
He demanded that the farm subsidies be continued and the government withdraw the notification and protect the interests of the farmers.
The central government has fixed procurement price of Rs 1,360 per quintal for common variety and Rs 1,400 for nice variety. Besides this, the Tamil Nadu government offers incentives of Rs 50 per quintal for common variety and Rs 70 for nice variety. Hence the farmers would get Rs 1,410 and Rs 1,470 as procurement prices for both varieties.
