Haryana seeks rabi MSP with 30 pc profit over input cost

Haryana government today said it has recommended the Minimum Support Price (MSP) with 30 per cent profit over the cost of production for rabi crops.
The state government has given its recommendations to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) for the rabi season 2016-17.
Haryana Agriculture Minister O P Dhankar said the state has also recommended that the price to be paid to farmers for various crops should be "profitable", since it has been the practice that in the open market, not a better price than that of the MSP is fetched by farmers for their foodgrains in majority.

Dhankar, MLA from Badli assembly constituency, said it is evident that presently, the agricultural land has considerably squeezed and many farmers have been earning their livelihood from the agriculture sector, taking the land on lease, thus pushing the cost of production on the higher side.
"Therefore, the government has recommended that this rent of the land may also be included in the cost of production of foodgrains," he said.
The government has also recommended that interest cost of bank loans for farming may also be included while determining the cost of production, he added.
The Minister said now, various agricultural activities like ploughing, sowing, cutting, processing etc are undertaken with the machinery, whereas in the past, all these activities were undertaken with the labour of the family members of the farmers.

Keeping this in view, it has also been recommended that the cost of production may also include the expenditure incurred on the machinery used on all these activities, he said.