Provide legal guarantee for MSP for all crops in every state: SC panel

Many farmer groups who submitted opinions before the committee formed by the Supreme Court have pitched for a legal commitment for purchase at the minimum support price, while most of them support the current farm laws.  

Some of the organizations tried to decide the price on the basis of detailed costs. To date, during nine different meetings over the past three weeks, the three-member committee has heard viewpoints from numerous stakeholders, including 81 farmers' organizations from across the region.  

However, as per their joint position, farm unions agitating for the abolition of farm laws did not attend the panel in order not to appear before it. 

Sources privy to the panel's ongoing deliberations said that while members of most organizations did not have much trouble with farm laws as they seemed to be persuaded with certain laws with some government proposed reforms, they strongly supported legal guarantee for the procurement of all 23 crops in all states at MSP.

Comprising agriculture economist Ashok Gulati, farm policy expert Pramod Joshi and president of Shetkari Sanghatana, Anil Ghanwat during their submission to the forum, they are taught to have expressed concern that the procurement is currently carried out mainly for wheat and paddy, and for pulses and oilseeds in a small way, and only in a few states, too.  

Sources said that the detailed cost problem was also flagged by some of the delegates, stating that the new MSP estimation method does not reflect the actual cost because it takes in imputed rent on owned land and imputed interest on owned money.