Farm price challenge

New govt has to tackle this urgently

A persistent slump in the commodities market despite substantial hikes in the official floor prices of major crops to 50 per cent above their production cost is among the issues the new government would need to address urgently. Most of the commodities for which the government fixes minimum support prices (MSPs) are being traded at 10 to 30 per cent below these rates in the ongoing rabi marketing season. The situation in the last kharif season was no different. The only exceptions are wheat and rice in select areas where these are procured by official agencies and a few others