Newdelhi:22/11/17:The Centre has finally turned down Odisha’s demand to hike minimum support price (MSP) of paddy.
Deputy Economic Adviser in the Directorate of Economics and Statistics under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in a letter addressed to Rohit Pujari of Biju Janata Dal Krushak Sammukhya (BJDKS), the farmers’ front of ruling party-Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has said that paddy farmers in Odisha are getting adequate return over its cost of productio “Government has increased the MSP of paddy (common) to Rs 1550 per quintal for 2017-18 season from Rs 1470 per quintal of 2016-17 season. The MSP fixed by the Government for 2017-18 provides adequate return over its cost of production including family labour (A2+FL) of Rs 1327 per quintal for Odisha as estimated by Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP),” the letter reads.
The Union Ministry’s letter was in response to memorandum submitted by BJDKS at different blocks of Sambalpur district addressed to the President of India seeking enhancement of MSP of paddy.