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The Central Government on Wednesday hiked the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat by Rs 40 to Rs 2,015 per quintal and for mustard seed by Rs 400 to Rs 5,050 per quintal for the current crop year.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Currently, the government fixes MSPs for 23 crops grown in both kharif and rabi seasons.
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The sowing of rabi (winter) crops begins from October immediately after the harvest of kharif (summer) crops. Wheat and mustard are major rabi crops. MSP is the rate at which the government buys the grain from farmers.
According to an official release, the CCEA has approved increase in MSP for six rabi crops for the 2021-22 crop year (July-June) and 2022-23 marketing season. Wheat MSP has been increased by Rs 40 to Rs 2,015 per quintal for this crop year from Rs 1,975 per quintal in the 2020-21 crop year.
The cost of production of wheat is estimated at Rs 1,008 per quintal, the release said. The government has procured a record of over 43 million tonnes of wheat during 2021-22 rabi marketing season, as per official data. The support price of barley has been hiked by Rs 35 to Rs 1,635 per quintal for the 2021-22 crop year from Rs 1,600 per quintal in the previous year.
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Among pulses, the MSP for gram has been increased by Rs 130 to Rs 5,230 per quintal from Rs 5,100 per quintal while that for lentil (masur) has been hiked by Rs 400 to Rs 5,500 per quintal from Rs 5,100 per quintal. In the case of oilseeds, the government has increased the MSP for mustard seed by Rs 400 to Rs 5,050 per quintal for the 2021-22 crop year from Rs 4,650 per quintal in the previous year. The MSP for safflower has been raised by Rs 114 to Rs 5,441 per quintal from Rs 5,327 per quintal.
“The government has increased the MSP of rabi crops for the 2022-23 rabi marketing season to ensure remunerative prices to the growers for their produce,” the release said.
The government said the increase in MSP for rabi crops for the 2022-23 marketing season is in line with the Union Budget 2018-19 announcement of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times of the average cost of production, aiming a reasonably fair remuneration for farmers.
-PTC News with inputs from agencies-
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