Farmers Movement Archive

High grain production to offset low MSP hike for wheat

Lucknow: The UP government has asserted that a Rs 40 per quintal hike in minimum support price (MSP) for wheat in 2021-22 — one of the lowest in a decade — won’t impact farmers as the quantum of grain production in the state has risen by over 35% in four years. Speaking to TOI, UP agriculture minister, Surya Pratap Shahi, said, production of wheat and paddy rose approximately from 28 quintals per hectare in 2016-17 to 38 quintals per hectare in 2020-21. “This is a key pointer to pro-farmer measures, including providing good quality seeds and fertilizer to farmers and associating them with technology,” he said, while allaying fears that a relatively low MSP hike for wheat may not go down well with the farming community in run-up to assembly elections next year. Shahi’s stand comes at a time when BJP faces heat from the farming community, which is up in arms against three farm laws. Government records show MSP increased from Rs 1,100 per quintal in 2010-11 to Rs 1,170 in 2011-12. It rose by Rs 100/quintal in 2016-17, by Rs 110/quintal in 2017-18, Rs 105/quintal in 2018-19, Rs 85/quintal in 2019-20 and Rs 50 in 2020-21. Wheat MSP rose by Rs 40 to Rs 2,015 per quintal from Rs 1,975 per quintal in the 2020-21 crop year. The cost of production of wheat is estimated at Rs 1,008 per quintal. MSP is the rate at which the government buys grain from farmers to protect them from panic buying. Currently, the government fixes MSP for 23 crops grown in both kharif and rabi seasons. Sowing of rabi (winter) crops begins from October immediately after the harvest of kharif (summer) crops. Wheat and mustard are major rabi crops. While 2% MSP hike for wheat is lowest in a decade, UP is the biggest wheat producer, accounting for one-third of the overall wheat production in the country. As per UP agriculture department records, annual average paddy production between 2012-17 was of 123.61 lakh metric tonnes. This went up to an average of 163.45LMT per annum in last four years. Likewise, wheat production went up from 288.14LMT per annum between 2012-17 to 369.47LMT per annum in last four years. The total food grain production in 2020-21 was 618.49 LMT, records show. On the procurement front, the state government procured 123.61 LMT of paddy between 2012-17. This rose to 214.56 LMT in four years. Likewise, 94.38 LMT of wheat was purchased from farmers between 2012-17, which went up to 209.67 LMT between 2017 and 2021. The UP government procured around 53 lakh metric tonnes of wheat in 2021-22, which was 33% higher than last year and around 700% higher than the produce procured in 2016-17. The procurement was, however, 14% of the total wheat production, which is comparatively less than Punjab and Haryana, where almost 70% and 80% wheat is procured by the state government.

The Times of India

2021-09-13

Lucknow