CACP Chairman terms MSP for paddy as ''unreasonable''

Hyderabad, Jun 17 (UNI) Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) Chairman T Haque today termed the Centre's announcement of ad-hoc payment for paddy as ''unreasonable.'' Talking to newspersons here, he said the Centre had announced only Rs 850 as MSP per quintal of paddy against the CACP's recommended price of Rs 1,000 for common variety and Rs 1,050 for fine variety.

Finding fault with the Centre for referring the CACP recommendation to the Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Committee, he asked ''does the government intend to dilute the role of CACP and scrap MSP itself?'' Opining the Centre's ''insensitiveness'' to the demand of paddy growers would affect the country's food security, he said by hiking the MSP, the government could encourage more farmers to cultivate paddy and ensure food security for the country at a time when several countries were witnessing ''rice riots.'' Recalling that Andhra Pradesh government had sought Rs 1,200 as the MSP for paddy when he was the CACP Chairman, he urged the Chief Minister to take up this demand with the Centre now.

''In 1990's, the MSP for paddy and wheat were almost same and the gap between the two crops widened thereafter,'' he added.

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