Centre will announce MSP for kharif crops in May: Kundariya

Decision taken to allow farmers to take informed decisions before beginning sowing

The Centre will declare Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops in May this year, allowing farmers to take an informed decision regarding crop sowing.

Union minister of state for agriculture Mohan Kundariya made this announcement during a conference at the Junagadh Agriculture University (JAU) in Junagadh district.

Generally, the Union government announces MSP for Kharif crops after the sowing ends in August.

“The Central government has taken a decision to declare MSP for crops sown in Kharif season in the month of April or latest by May from this year," Kundariya said during a seminar at the JAU.

Sowing of Kharif crops, the minister said, generally commence from the end of May every year but farmers don't know from which crop they will get earn more incentive from the government.

To allow farmers to take an informed decision, the government, he said, has decided to announce MSP before sowing commences.

He added that MSP on Rabi or winter crops will be announced in August from this year.

According to Kundariya, early announcement of MSP will help farmers take a decision regarding which crop they would like to sow in the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, the government will begin the programme of soil health card. Centre has planned to provide soil health card to all the 140 million  farm-land owners in the next three years. The government has so far provided soil health card to about 60 million farmers in India.

Kundariya said, “The soil health card will help farmers adopt modern agricultural techniques and also giving them an identity.”