SAD asks Congress govt to follow Kerala pattern and declare MSP for fruits and vegetables
MSP for fruits and vegetables in Punjab: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday asked the Punjab government to follow the Kerala pattern and declare minimum support price (MSP) for fresh farm fruits and vegetables to give a boost to agriculture. Bikram Majithia also asked to ensurie the government purchase of crops for which MSP had already been declared by the Centre.
Apart from demanding MSP for fruits and vegetables, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia said that the Congress government in Punjab should launch this scheme on the State’s foundation day on November 1 in the same manner in which the Kerala government had done recently.
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Bikram Majithia said while this measure would provide much needed protection to the State’s farmers against sudden price drops in times of glut, it would also pave the way for diversification.
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He said simultaneously the State government should also ensure that the entirety of crops listed under the MSP regime, including cotton and maize, were procured by government agencies.
Do you think stopping Rural development fund amount from the due payment of MSP for Punjab is the next step towards abolishing MSP regime?
Asking the State government to become pro-active on this issue, Majithia said it should pass an ordinance if needed and follow it up with budgetary provisions for the current financial year. “The SAD is prepared to support any such pro-farmer move”, he added.
The SAD leader said the government could also hold another special Vidhan Sabha session to secure the rights of farmers, as it had failed to circumvent the central agri-laws by amending the same recently.
“Besides repealing these laws completely and declaring the entire State as a single mandi (principal market yard) the government should make budgetary provisions to purchase fruits and vegetables if the same are not purchased by private players. It should similarly form a policy to purchase cotton and maize if they are not purchased at MSP by central agencies”.
-PTC News 
