Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala with party Secretary Vineet Punia addresses a press conference, at the party headquarters, in New Delhi on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Congress on Thursday claimed that the Narendra Modi government merely announced minimum support price (MSP) for farmers but never procured their produce at those rates.

Addressing a press conference, party general secretary Randeep Surjewala claimed the government had turned the MSP into “maximum suffering of the producer” which proved that the BJP had “anti-farmer DNA”.

A day after the Union government announced the MSP for the Kharif crops for 2023-24, Mr. Surjewala claimed that the the MSP was not only far less than what the farmers should ideally get but the government made very limited purchases even on this meagre price.

He said the government had promised to fix the MSP of various crops after computing the input costs plus 50% profit following the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices but the actual support prices were way below this level.

“When there is no intention to procure crops on MSP, what is the purpose of announcing it,” asked Mr. Surjewala, adding “The Modi Cabinet pretends to announce MSP for Kharif crops. But, there are bitter truths related to this. Farmer’s crop is not bought at all on MSP in India, farmer does not get 50% profit on cost. Every policy and DNA of the Modi government is anti-farmer”.

In the last four years, the Modi government did not spend around ₹80,000 crore from the budget of the Agriculture Ministry and the names of two crore farmers were removed from the list of Kisan Samman Nidhi beneficiaries, he alleged. Under the “Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi” (PM-KISAN) scheme, a financial benefit of ₹6,000 per year was provided to eligible farmer families, payable in three equal instalments of ₹2,000.

‘PR hungry govt.’

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted, “The Modi government had made two promises to the farmers of the country — fixing the MSP at cost plus 50% profit and doubling the income of farmers of the country by 2022. Both promises turned out to be false. The PR hungry Modi government, which is pretending to increase the MSP on Kharif crop does not buy crops on MSP at all. The budget for agriculture was cut”.

“Nine years of the Modi government has become a curse for 62 crore farmers of the country,” the Congress chief added.

“No cost plus 50 per cent profit. No buying at MSP. No double income. In nine years of the BJP government, what did the farmers get except ‘jumlas’ in elections, lathis on the back and kicks on the stomach,” asked Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Twitter.

A trader checking the quality of wheat at the wholesale grain mandi at Najafgarh, in New Delhi. File photo.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Wheat has been sown in 54,000 hectare so far in the ongoing rabi (winter) season of the 2022-23 crop year, 59 per cent higher than 34,000 hectare in the year-ago period, according to the agriculture ministry data released on Friday.

The sowing of wheat, the main rabi crop, begins in October and harvesting in March-April. Besides, gram and mustard are other major crops grown during the rabi season (July-June).

According to the latest sowing data, wheat sowing is underway in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir.

About 39,000 hectare was covered under wheat in Uttar Pradesh, 9,000 hectare in Uttarakhand, 2,000 hectare in Rajasthan and 1,000 hectare in Jammu & Kashmir as on October 28, the data showed.

Area sown to pulses remained higher at 8.82 lakh hectare so far this rabi season against 5.91 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Among pulses, the gram was planted in 6.96 lakh hectare against 5.91 lakh hectare a year ago.

In the case of oilseeds, about 19.69 lakh hectare was sown to six types of oilseeds, higher than 15.13 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Much of the area was sown to rapeseed and mustard at 18.99 lakh hectare compared to 14.21 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.

Coarse cereals were sown in 4.68 lakh hectare against 2.31 lakh hectare, while rice in 4.02 lakh hectare against 3.54 lakh hectare a year ago, the data showed.

The total coverage under all the rabi crops remained higher at 37.75 lakh hectare as of October 28 this rabi season, higher than 27.24 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.

Sowing is expected to pick up in the coming weeks once the land gets clear after harvesting the Kharif crops.

Representational image.
| Photo Credit: Kommuri Srinivas

A Finance Ministry report on September 17 underlined the need for deft management of stocks of agriculture commodities in view of lower crop-sowing for the Kharif Season, stressing there should be no room for complacency on the inflation front.

Overall, inflationary pressures in India appear to be on a decline with a pre-emptive set of administrative measures by the government, agile monetary policy and easing of international commodity prices and supply-chain bottlenecks, according to the monthly Economic Review released by the Finance Ministry.

However, it said, there is no “room for complacency on the inflation front as lower crop-sowing for the Kharif season calls for deft management of stocks of agricultural commodities and market prices without unduly jeopardising farm exports.”

India’s rice production could fall by 10-12 million tonnes during the Kharif season this year due to a fall in paddy sowing area, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey had said earlier this month.

The Kharif season contributes about 80% of India’s total rice production.

There was a huge lag in paddy sowing in the states of Jharkhand (9.80 lakh ha), Madhya Pradesh (6.32 lakh ha), West Bengal (4.45 lakh ha), Chhattisgarh (3.91 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (2.61 lakh ha), and Bihar (2.18 lakh ha) so far this kharif season.

Paddy is the main kharif crop and its sowing begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon from June and harvesting from October onwards.

Observing that India’s growth has been robust and inflation in control at a time when slowing growth and high inflation are afflicting most of the major economies of the world.

The report further said inflation in India, a net commodity-importing country, has been a by-product of externally situated exogenous pressures.

“Increase in international prices was reflected in an uptick in domestic prices, though the increase in domestic prices was relatively modest on account of the timely interventions taken by the government. Further, as these external pressures ease, inflationary pressures in India are also likely to subside,” it said.

Several indicators are already pointing to the easing of external pressures, the report said, adding, industrial metals and edible oil prices after peaking in March 2022, have softened, led by recessionary fears in advanced economies.

Crude prices have dropped 19.1% by August since the peak in the month of June 2022 and supply chains are getting restored with decline in port congestion.

The impact is already reflected in the decline in retail and WPI inflation since April 2022. Retail inflation eased to 7% in August as compared to 7.8% in April 2022.