Badal sends detailed proposal to GOI for seeking hike in MSP of Rabi crops for 2014-15

Chandigarh, May 8, 2014: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today cleared the state’s proposal asking the Government of India (GoI) to make upward revision in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of various crops for Rabi 2014-15 over the corresponding MSP during 2013-14.

Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the State agriculture department forwarded a detailed proposal to the Commission for Agriculture Costs & Prices (CACP) for seeking hike in the MSP of the Wheat from Rs.1400 in 2013-14 to Rs.1900 per quintal in 2014-15.  Likewise, the agriculture department also sought an upward revision in the MSP of Barley from Rs.1100 to Rs.1517 per quintal. 

The spokesperson further said that the Chief Minister demanded the MSP of Grams to be hiked from Rs.3100 to Rs.3627 per quintal and that of Rapeseed and Mustard from Rs. 3050 to Rs.3484 per quintal in the proposal forwarded to CACP. 

The Chief Minister categorically said that the hike in the MSP of above mentioned crops during the Rabi 2014-15 was necessitated to boost the crop diversification plan especially for the promotion of crops like Barley, Grams, Rapeseed and Mustard in the state.  This move would not only benefit the state’s peasantry substantially but also help the state to arrest the trend of declining ground water.  It may be recalled that the state government under its ambitious agriculture diversification program had already planned to reduce the area under paddy cultivation from 28 lakh hectares to 12 lakh hectares over a period of five years.