Development Minister Gopal Rai said, “Delhi government has decided to introduce Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers based on the report of the MS Swaminathan Commission.”
The minister also said the government will hold a meeting with agrarian experts today to discuss the matter. Interestingly, the move comes just months before the Lok Sabha elections. There are about 20,000 farmers in the national capital.
Rai said neither the Modi government nor the previous Congress-led UPA regime implemented the Commission's report.
The good news for Delhi farmers is that, now the government has decided to introduce MSP for Delhi's farmers based on the Swaminathan Commission's report. Informing about it the Minister said, “We formed a three-member committee in December to study the report. The committee has submitted its own report on the MSP for Delhi's farmers. We will hold a conference on this issue. The three-member committee's report will be put before experts for suggestions."
Gopal Rai further added, once the MSP is finalized, the government will hold meetings with farmers, seeking their views and thereafter it will be sent to the Cabinet.
Recently, the government has increased the MSP for all Kharif and Rabi crops and other commercial crops for the season 2018-19 with a return of at least 50% over cost of production, as per the Union Agriculture Ministry statement in December last year.
