Govt working on mechanism to ensure procurement of coarse

The government is working on a mechanism to ensure procurement of coarse grains in addition to crops already being procured, Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh said today.

During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, the minister said the minimum support price for Kharif crops has been increased to 1.5 times their cost of production.

Earlier BJP-ally SAD member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had sought to know if lower returns on farm produce was the reason for "farmers' distress". The SAD MP also mentioned that if 'C2' aspect had been included while deciding the MSP, farmers would have benefited more.

C2 is the imputed cost of capital and the rent of land.

"Farmers's distress is caused by multiple reasons including crop loss inflicted by natural calamities, infestation by pests and debt," the minister said.

He said the government had taken a number of steps to improve the condition of farmers including increasing MSP and launching e-National Agricultural Market.

The Union minister said the government was also planning to ensure that coarse grains (mota anaj) are procured.

Radha Mohan Singh said that to tackle the climate change aspect, the government was working on a 'Climate resilient village' scheme.