The Tripura State Committee of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) demanded increasing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy procurement by the government ensuring that the MSP is 1.5 times of the input cost.
The State AIKS leaders also demanded setting up procurement centres in the Janajati populated areas as well.
With these two demands, AIKS leaders sought the intervention of Food Minister of the State, Sushanta Chowdhury and met the Minister to place the demand list on Thursday
Notably, the government of Tripura recently announced its plan to procure 40,000 metric tonnes of paddy from the State farmers through 49 procurement centres at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 21.83 per kilogram. The procurement drive will be starting on December 11.
|Also Read : Tripura to procure 40,000 MT paddy at MSP from farmers: Food Minister |
Close on the heels of the announcement relating to procurement, the state committee of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) convened to advocate for crucial alterations.
During a press conference held in Agartala on Thursday, AIKS state committee leader Pabitra Kar highlighted concerns regarding the MSP set by the government.
Kar emphasized that the current MSP, aligned with the Centre’s directives, might lead to farmer losses due to the absence of the C2+50 criteria (1.5 times of the input cost) as initially stated by PM Modi before 2014.
He made it clear that the AIKS demanded fixing the MSP as per the criteria so that farmers might not face any loss.
Kar further elaborated, asserting, “Our evaluation suggests the MSP should ideally be around Rs. 28.50 per kilogram”.
He said, “We urged the minister to consider the assessment of the MSP and hike the MSP for the betterment of our farming community.We also urged the Minister to review the MSP based on the C2+50 criteria to ensure a fair income for farmers in the state.
In addition to the MSP concerns, the committee stressed the necessity to expand procurement centers for paddy acquisition. Kar expressed dissatisfaction with several areas being excluded from the government’s recently announced list of 49 procurement centers.
“There is an imperative need to establish paddy procurement centers across all 58 blocks of the state, particularly in tribal-dominated regions,” Kar emphasized.
Kar informed the media that the minister affirmed his willingness to address the matter.
