States want MSP be linked with price index

New Delhi, May 29 (UNI) The Chief Ministers of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, today called upon the Centre to link the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural commodities with the price index and said the farming profession would be rendered inviable, if it was not considered.

Participating in the 53rd meeting of the National Development Council, the Chief Ministers sought more funds from the Centre under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) as well as financial assistance for combating the adverse impact of global warming and ecological degredation on agriculture.

They said, ''A concrete action plan brooks no delay relating to issues involving ecological problems.'' Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal vociferously raised the issue of linking the MSP with the price index to prevent farmers from virtually making them to subsidise foodgrains for the consumers.

He said all crops other than wheat and rice, whose MSP was being fixed by the Central government, should be effectively procured. And, the Price Stabilisation Fund should be created at the national level for the crops prone to heavy fluctuation in prices.

Like the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and other states, Mr Badal favoured contract farming but opposed the Corporate farming saying it would alienate the farmers from their holdings and make them virtually tenants on their own lands.

He sought the Centre's help for strengthening cooperatives, dairy, poultry and food processing industry in the state as these sectors could absorb a sizable portion of the workforce rendered unemployed with mechanisation of agriculture.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi were critical of the Centre for not consulting the states in various cases such as importing the agricultural produce like wheat, fixing of tariff on farm commodities and in determining the rates of farm inputs like fertilisers.

''As agriculture production is falling and farmers are under dire distress, the Centre shifts its onus on the states, saying agriculture is a state subject,'' said Mr Chouhan.

Both Mr Chouhan and Mr Modi sought the Centre's help to take concrete steps to overcome the negative impact of global warming of which farmers were the first casuality.

''With the early onset of summer season, wheat crops procurement comes down by 6-7 per cent per year,'' said the junior Badal, adding this could cause serious food shortage in the country.

The Chief Ministers also sought Centre's funding for expediting reasearch for short-duration wheat varieties and other cereal crops.

Mr Modi said big Coporate houses should be asked to invest on the development of desert lands in the country which could be later handed over to small and marginal farmers.

He urged for more funds on river-linking project and Central assistance for cooperative farming, encouraging the small and marginal farmers to voluntarily pool their holdings into a big farm.

UNI