Betrayal of Farmers by BJP Government!
The AIKS condemns the Narendra Modi led BJP Government for betraying Farmers and announcing Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for Kharif 2016-17 at lower than cost of production. In a drought year when Farmers were expecting good prices for paddy the Government has mechanically made a negligible increase of Rs.60/Qtl. It has ignored the Swaminathan Commission recommendation of providing atleast 50 percent above cost of Production. AIKS had demanded 2000/Qtl as the cost of production is much higher than even the present MSP. In the case of pulses while Government imports substandard pulses at over Rs.6000/Qtl they are announcing meagre MSP for the high risk crop. The Government is only sprinkling salt on Farmers’ injuries and making a mockery of their plight.
In paddy for the Kharif Marketing Season 2015-16 the CACP calculations the weighted average cost of production was shown as Rs.1324/Qtl and the MSP announced was only Rs.1410/Qtl. This is based on cost calculation based on 2013-14 costs. Now full three years after it announces just Rs.1470/Qtl. Since there is no assured procurement farmers are forced to sell to traders at distress prices. Farmers in Odisha, Jharkhand etc were getting not more than Rs.1100/Qtl while even their cost of production was higher than the recommended MSP. The cost of production of Moong in 2014-15 was Rs. 4970.77/Qtl. Two years later an MSP of Rs.5225/Qtl has been announced by claiming it includes a bonus of Rs.425/Qtl. It is worth noting here that the CACP cost calculations for 2014-15 had put Cost of Production of Ragi as Rs.1793.87/Qtl. The MSP fixed for 2016-17 is only Rs.1725/Qtl. For Jowar the CACP had calculated Cost of Production to be Rs.1788.20/Qtl for 2014-15 the MSP announced is just Rs.1625/Qtl. Kisan Sabha as well as State Government cost calculations show that the CACP calculations are far below the costs actually incurred by farmers. The inflation and increase in costs of production have not been considered at all. Also these costs are far below Farmers’ actual costs. For most crops the MSP is even below the cost of production calculated by the CACP. With such low MSP it cannot provide any incentive to farmers to continue in agriculture.
The Narendra Modi-led BJP Government which came to power promising MSP according to the Dr.Swaminathan Commission recommendations after elections gave an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating that it was impossible to do so as it would be market distorting. To add to the problems of Farmers it also issued a Government Order to States threatening that procurement would be banned from States providing bonus over and above the MSP fixed by the Central Government saying it would distort the market. This is the true face of this anti-farmer Government.
AIKS calls upon all its units to expose the Government and their lies seeking to portray itself as Farmer-friendly. AIKS units across the country will hold protests against the betrayal by the Government.
Sd/-
Amra Ram, President
Hannan Mollah, General Secretary
3rd June, 2016
