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The NDA authorities has not lone fixed the Minimum Support Price of crops astatine treble their outgo of accumulation but has besides accrued procurement four-fold compared to the UPA government, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said successful the Rajya Sabha connected Friday (December 5, 2025).
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Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour successful the Upper House regarding Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, Mr. Chouhan said the erstwhile UPA authorities had refused to springiness a 50 per cent hike implicit the outgo of accumulation of crops arsenic recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
However, the Modi authorities successful 2019 decided to judge these recommendations and connection MSP with a 50% borderline implicit the accumulation cost, helium added.
Raising the contented of MSP, Mukul Balkrishna Wasnik, Congress MP from Rajasthan, began the statement questioning whether farmers were protesting for a ineligible warrant nether MSP, whether the govt was considering immoderate instrumentality connected this, and whether it was acceptable to supply specified guarantee.
Mr. Chouhan said the Modi authorities had worked to summation harvest accumulation portion reducing accumulation costs, and had simultaneously ensured procurement of crops astatine the close terms from farmers.
He stated that his authorities has doubled the MSP arsenic compared to what the UPA authorities had offered.
Citing respective examples, helium said the UPA authorities had offered ₹1,310 arsenic MSP for paddy successful 2013–14, portion the Modi authorities has decided to wage ₹2,369.
Similarly, the procurement terms of jowar (white millet) has been accrued from Rs 1,500 during the UPA regularisation to ₹3,699, helium added, citing akin increases successful assorted different crops.
Mr. Chouhan besides compared harvest procurement during the 10 years of UPA regularisation (2004–2014) with that of the existent NDA authorities to substantiate his assertion that harvest procurement has accrued four-fold.
Mr. Wasnik said the Minister offered a agelong answer, but his questions remained unanswered.
According to Mr. Wasnik, 1,12,000 farmers person committed suicide, and workplace indebtedness has piled up to ₹28.5 lakh crore during the 11 years of NDA rule.
He added that connected November 15, 2024, during a sojourn to Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced successful a nationalist rally that soybean would beryllium purchased astatine an MSP of ₹6,000 per quintal, but that terms has not been offered yet.
When Mr. Wasnik questioned the look utilized by the authorities to hole MSP, Mr. Chouhan reiterated that portion the UPA authorities rejected the Swaminathan recommendation, the NDA offers MSP with a 50 per cent instrumentality implicit the outgo of production.
He said his government, which is procuring grounds quantities of crops nether the MSP scheme, has decided to bargain 100% of the accumulation of tur, masur and urad etc.
He besides accused the Congress-ruled Karnataka authorities of violating crop-procurement norms, stating that farmers’ payment is the utmost precedence for his government.
Mr. Chouhan added that portion the UPA authorities did not bargain vegetables and fruits from farmers, his authorities has purchased tomato, murphy and bulb arsenic good arsenic apples, grapes, reddish chillies and ginger nether the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).
“We are giving much than 50 per cent implicit MSP connected definite crops,” Mr. Chouhan said.
John Brittas, CPI(M) MP from Kerala, asked whether determination were demands to summation the fig of crops covered nether MSP and whether the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices had recommended expanding MSP coverage.
Brittas besides asked whether an magnitude of Rs 1,206.69 crore remains unpaid to Kerala by the Centre for paddy procurement since 2017–18, and if so, erstwhile the authorities intends to merchandise these funds.
Mr. Chouhan said that too the 22 scheduled crops nether MSP, the authorities is purchasing respective different crops nether MIS and the PM-ASHA scheme.
Regarding the dues, helium said the authorities would merchandise payments if immoderate dues exist, and would behaviour an enquiry successful lawsuit of immoderate anomalies.
