Badal asks PM to announce Rs 1500 per quintal MSP on wheat

Chandigarh, Nov 19 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to immediately announce Rs 1500 per quintal as MSP of wheat for the marketing season 2008-09 and an additional bonus of Rs 250 over and above the MSP for paddy for the current procurement season.

In letter to the PM, Mr Badal impressed upon Dr Singh to immediately announce the MSP for Rabi crops to motivate the farmers to invest in improving crop productivity.

Mr Badal regretted that the MSP for Grade-A quality of paddy was fixed at Rs 880 per quintal for the current procurement season on which a bonus of Rs 50 per quintal has been provided recently. He pointed out that it was ironical that at a time when the Centre was trying to shore up the food grain reserves, the MSP (along with bonus) was significantly lower than the MSP recommended by Commission on Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) which was Rs 1030 per quintal for Grade 'A' paddy.

The State had requested for a MSP of Rs 1395 per quintal keeping in view the cost of cultivation and also to provide a suitable margin to the farmers so as to encourage them to make investments in agriculture for improving the productivity and sustainability, Mr Badal stated in the letter.

''As mentioned, the amount of bonus is too meager and I request you to undo this injustice by providing an additional bonus of Rs 250 to the country's farmers,'' the Chief Minister stated.

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