Amarinder hopeful for increase in wheat MSP

Kathunangal, Punjab, Mar 31 (UNI) With the wheat harvesting season around the corner, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is still hopeful that the Union Government would hike the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat from Rs 650 per quintal to Rs 700.

Talking to mediapersons here, he said that he had already taken up this matter with the Prime Minister and Union Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Sharad Pawar. ''The cost of (wheat) input had risen to Rs 132 whereas the gate price was stagnant at Rs 60 over past few years, he said.

''It was all the more important to revise it adequately to compensate the farmers so that it could commensurate with the ever widening gap between input costs and the MSP'', Capt Singh added.

Regarding the import of 1.5 million MT of wheat, the Chief Ministger said that it was primarily done to maintain the stock level of wheat to ensure smooth Public Distribution System (PDS) as the Union government was apprehensive of low production of wheat in the wheat growing states of Uttar Pradesh, Madya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

He however, said that he too was skeptical of fall in the level of wheat production in Punjab due to the erratic weather condition right from its sowing to harvesting. On the contrary the agriculture department was confident of achieving the targeted production level of wheat, Capt Singh noted.

UNI HS VD PC1839