Include oilseeds, bajra in MSP proposal: Gurnam Singh Charuni to Centre

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, February 19

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni today said while the Central government has proposed to procure five crops on assured MSP, it has left two major crops — oilseeds and bajra — in the proposal.

Major Crops under diversification

The government has given assurance on procuring five crops through government agencies but oilseeds and bajra have been left out. When the government talks about crop diversification, oilseeds and bajra are the two major crops under diversification scheme. Gurnam Singh, bhartiya kisan union (charuni) chief

The union has demanded that both the crops should also be included in the proposal as oilseeds and bajra are produced in good quantity in Haryana and are sold below the minimum support price (MSP).

Speaking to mediapersons, Gurnam Singh said, “The government has given assurance on procuring five crops (three pulses, cotton and maize) through government agencies, but oilseeds (mustard, toria and sunflower), and bajra have been left out. There has been no discussion on these two crops. When the government talks about crop diversification, oilseeds and bajra are the two major crops under diversification scheme.”

“A major area of mustard crop has been replaced with wheat over the years because the farmers were not getting remunerative price for mustard. If the government supports, the farmers can grow ample oilseeds and the dependency on importing the edible oil can be reduced,” he said.

The farmer leader also said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar should also attend the meetings between the Union ministers and farmers and raise the issues of Haryana farmers.

“While the Punjab Chief Minister has been attending the meetings and raising the issues of Punjab farmers, the Haryana CM has not attended any meeting. While forming the policy, the Central government should ensure that the policy is implemented across the country and the benefits are not restricted to Punjab farmers only. If the Haryana farmers are left out, we will be forced to launch a big agitation”, he said, adding “If the matter (ongoing agitation) is not resolved by February 21, the Haryana farmer unions will actively participate in the agitation.”

He said, “The Haryana CM has claimed that of the 23 crops having MSP, Haryana has been procuring 14 crops on the MSP, but in reality only two crops (wheat and paddy) are procured while sugarcane is procured on fair and remunerative price (FRP) and bajra, mustard and sunflower are being covered under the Bhavantar Bharpai scheme. Bajra and sunflower were sold below the MSP last year. No procurement of pulses is being done on the MSP. A letter has been sent to the government seeking response regarding the crops being procured on the MSP and quantity procured.”

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