Prasanna Acharya claimed that the BJP-led Central government cut Rs 20,000 crore from paddy procurement in the most recent budget. "The government has clearly forgotten about Swaminathan Commission recommendations. This budget cut will ensure that farmers do not receive their MSP and that paddy procurement falls dramatically," Acharya said.
Acharya stated that the reduction in procurement funds will have a significant impact on farmers in Odisha, particularly those in the western region, and will have a significant impact on their livelihood.
Because of the reduced budgetary allocation for procurement, the Centre is unable to increase the MSP. "We demand that farmers receive Rs 2,930 as MSP for one quintal of paddy, as per an Odisha Assembly resolution," he said.
Aside from that, the BJD leader stated that the Centre has reduced Odisha's food grain procurement target. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) used to lift 18 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of rice from Odisha each year, but the Centre has reduced it by 80% for 2022-23 to only 4 lakh MT, according to Acharya.
Noting that the Odisha district of Bargarh alone produces 4 lakh MT of rice, Acharya wondered what would happen to the remaining 29 districts. "Where will the farmers of those 29 districts sell their paddy?" he asked, adding that the Centre has remained completely silent on the issue. He claimed that as a result of the Centre's injustice, western Odisha farmers would suffer the most.
The BJD leader also questioned the BJP MPs' and central ministers' silence. "We demand that the Centre lift every single surplus foodgrain from Odisha through paddy procurement in the interests of farmers, primarily in Western Odisha, and that farmers in Odisha not be deprived of their MSP at any cost," Acharya said.
The minimum support price for a crop is the price at which the government is supposed to procure/purchase that crop from farmers if the market price falls below it. MSPs set a floor for market prices and ensure that farmers receive a certain "minimum" remuneration to cover their cultivation costs (and some profit).
