Modi govt betraying farmers, MSP is now 'Maximum Suffering for Producers': Surjewala

New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) The Congress accused the Centre on Thursday of betraying farmers in the name of minimum support price, which it said has now become "maximum suffering for producers".

Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said the Centre is crediting itself for declaring a higher MSP for crops, but the reality is that the minimum support price is far lower than the "cost (C2) plus 50 per cent" formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

He also claimed that while the BJP-led Centre has declared an MSP for various crops, it is hardly buying crops at that rate and farmers are being cheated in the name of minimum support price.

Surjewala shared a chart showing the difference between the MSP and the "C2 plus 50 per cent" formula, causing huge losses to farmers.

He also shared another chart showing that only a fraction of crops has been purchased at the MSP by the Centre.

"The farmers of the country are being cheated in the name of cost plus 50 per cent profit. They are shedding tears for the purchase of crops on the MSP and Modiji is giving slogans about increasing the income of farmers.

"The Modi government has launched an ambush on farmers and agriculture. The government is in the business of giving slogans, making announcements of promises and schemes but farmers continue to suffer," the Congress leader told a press conference here.

"The MSP has now become maximum suffering for producers. The C2 plus 50 per cent formula according to the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, which the government talks of implementing, has now become a jumla (rhetoric)," he said.

Surjewala wondered what is the point of announcing an MSP when the government does not buy crops at those rates.

"This is a betrayal and a joke with farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should give an answer for this to the 70 crore farmers of the country," he said.

On one hand, there is inflation and on top of that, the government is increasing the prices of diesel, electricity and seeds and cutting down the subsidy on fertilisers, he claimed.

The Congress leader also claimed that the Parliament's Agriculture Standing Committee has said in its report that the government should make a law for MSP guarantee and removal of taxes from agriculture and farming, but the prime minister has thrown the report into the dust bin.

"What is the meaning of MSP when you do not make any purchases at that rate?" he asked, adding that when inflation is 6 per cent, the hike in the MSP is less than that.

Surjewala said in the last 11 years, a false promise has been made on the announcement of support price, whereas the government does not buy any crop at the MSP except wheat and paddy.

He claimed that only 23.2 per cent of the total wheat crop was purchased during 2023-24, while 56.73 per cent of paddy was purchased at the MSP. Only 0.37 per cent of the total gram crop produced, 0.01 per cent of maize and 6.49 per cent of bajra was purchased by the government at the MSP.

Citing examples, Surjewala said barley production was 16.53 lakh tonnes but the Modi government did not buy anything at the MSP. Similarly, he said 47.37 lakh tonnes of jowar was produced, but the government bought only 3.23 lakh tonnes.

While maize production was 376.65 lakh tonnes, the government purchased 5,000 tonnes and millet production was 107.16 lakh tonnes, but only about seven lakh tonnes were purchased by the government, he noted. PTI SKC RC