Centre rules out MSP hike

Ruling out any hike in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat, the Centre today said it might import 30-50 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of wheat to meet any shortfall.

"I must clarify that the Centre will announce no bonus or any type of hike in the MSP of wheat," Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs and Food Akhilesh Prasad told a press conference here.

"In its first three years, the present UPA Government had hiked Rs 300 in the MSP," he said. He, however, said that if there was any shortfall in the proposed target of domestic procurement of wheat then the Centre could import 30-50 lakh mt of wheat.

He also cautioned the farming community against any hoarding of wheat stock in order to get a high remunerative price later. The minister rejected suggestions to fix two prices of wheat "" MSP and the procurement price.

"The Centre will purchase wheat only at one price that is the MSP of Rs 850 per quintal announced by it," he said. He claimed that the increase in the MSP by the government covered the input cost on the produce by farmers.

The minister is on a two-day visit to various grain markets of Punjab and Haryana to oversee procurement process in the two agrarian states.