Delhi govt to raise MSP for wheat, paddy crops

The Delhi government has finalised a mechanism to raise the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat and paddy crops based on the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report, officials said on Sunday.

Development Minister Gopal Rai has directed his department to prepare a cabinet note for the implementation of the scheme, under the 'Mukhyamantri Kisan Mitra Yojna', launched by the government for the welfare of the farmers of Delhi, they said.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi has conceptualised the implementation the Swaminathan Committee report recommendations, which propose that MSP should be at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production for the benefit of the farmers, they said.

Based on all relevant factors, the MSP for Delhi for wheat and paddy crops has been decided after considering the higher production cost in the national capital as compared to other states, they added.

An Agriculture Conference was convened under the chairmanship of Rai at the Delhi Secretariat on January 29 to discuss the recommendations of the Swaminathan report, an official said.

In the meeting, Rai had discussed the modalities of MSP implementation in Delhi with the farmers, tenant farmers and wheat and paddy traders, the official added.